


The Birdhouse

by Im_a_rice



Category: Start-Up (Korea TV), 스타트업 | Start-Up
Genre: F/M, Han Ji Pyeong / Seo Dal Mi, Team Han Ji Pyeong, jidal, team good boy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:41:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 28,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28270041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Im_a_rice/pseuds/Im_a_rice
Summary: This is an alternate ending for Startup kdrama because I was reeling with how the story went from episode 15 so I made this fanfic just to soothe my own disappointment, in my head this is how I want it to end. Apologise in advance for the long and winding story, this is my first time writing so have no idea how to make it flow and enjoyable for others to read. But here we go...The story starts after Han Ji Pyeong conceded and told Dosan to go to Dalmi in episode 15.
Relationships: Han Ji Pyeong/Seo Dal Mi
Comments: 21
Kudos: 112





	1. Back to Where It All Started

# Back to Where It All Started

* * *

 _I've never regretted any choice I’ve made in my life, I'll work hard so I won't ever regret it._  
  
And yet why didn't it get easier no matter how hard she tried, Dalmi thought, ever since that day...  
  


* * *

“It's ok, this is enough", Jipyeong sat alone in his car looking at the plant and the box of letters. _This is what Dalmi wants, she'll be happy now_ , he tried convincing himself. _I'm not the one she sees, I'm not the one in her heart_ , thinking back to when he saw her cried in her office after she met Dosan. But no matter the amount of consolation words and reasons he convinced himself with, he felt his world had come crashing down, the little hope of love and family he's longed for were now gone…. He didn't even know why he let himself hope, perhaps from all those stolen glances Dalmi had thrown his way when she didn't realise he had noticed, or perhaps from the ever so slowly and gradually growing affections she had given him through all these years they had spent time together. So he let himself hope...he only had himself to blame for the pain he's feeling now. _I should've known better...._

He clutched on the steering wheel, pain written on his face, eyebrows creased as his eyes started to redden. Clenching his jaws to hold himself from tearing up, he put his head down and let out a sigh. He sat back, rested his head on the headrest and closed his eyes, breathing in and holding it as long as he could, and let go. Then he opened his eyes looking straight onto the road in front of him and started his car. He drove around with no destination in mind that day, anywhere but home, thinking it'd be better to be outside than being in his home alone, he could already taste of what's to come, the unavoidable bitterness as he's coming home to an empty house.

\------

Since that day, Jipyeong tried his best to avoid Dalmi knowing what she would say. He knew where and for whom her heart was but he was not ready to hear those words coming from Dalmi herself. All his life he'd built up a wall so he wouldn't get hurt like what he's feeling now. Since he met Dalmi, that wall has been broken down little by little until he realised there was no more. He'd stepped out of his comfort zone and ready to love her with all his heart. So when he finally conceded, he knew his heart would be in a lot of pain, at least for a while, if not for a very long time, but he didn't know it was going to be this much.

He did try to be a bigger person and pretended that it's all ok. When that one day Dalmi somehow found him in the meeting room where he was avoiding her, he managed to be collected as much as he could, as he told her he would be a loser for a long time, he even mustered up a smile when she told him about her decision for smart city bidding. But it took his whole being to not let his feelings show and broke down right there and then. He's just not strong enough, not yet, so he kept avoiding her with all his might, and never answered her concerned calls or texts asking if he's ok. Except for that one last time, Jipyeong finally replied, "I'm fine, Dalmi-ssi. Can I ask for a favour, pity is the last thing I need right now. Please let me keep my dignity until I can move on."

Ever since then, Dalmi stopped calling or texting, she didn't want to make it harder for him. She didn't even know why but since she and Dosan got back together, she sometimes found herself walking towards Jipyeong's office without realising, perhaps she's trying to see a glimpse of him, she just wanted to make sure he's ok. And despite being busy with the Smart City Bidding project and preoccupied with Dosan, there were times when she'd think, _has he eaten his lunch yet,_ thinking back to when they'd go for lunches together during the 3 years before Dosan came back. He used to come around her office and made her go have lunch with him, because sometimes she forgot to when she's so busy with work, the bibimguksu restaurant has become their regular lunch spot. And vice versa, she used to bring halmeoni's home cooked meals to Jipyeong's house and forced him to finish dinner in front of her as she knew he'd still work at home and ended up skipping dinner altogether. At first, it was because Halmeoni asked her to, but eventually she would do it on her own accord, perhaps out of gratitude. He was always there to comfort her and made her feel secure, she felt lost without his presence and advice, his comforting words and support he’s given all these years. Even though they didn’t always see eye to eye but she even loved their light banters when they didn't agree on something. Jipyeong always seemed to know what’s on her mind and when she was feeling down. His peculiar sense of humor never failed to make her laugh. He would always try his best to make her feel better again. Just like that day when Dosan came back and she was crying her heart out, she noticed how his small gestures warmed her heart and she felt grateful he was there at that time, talking to him made her feel better.

She knew about his feelings towards her, he's made it clear before when he confessed the first time while mixing bibimguksu and a couple of times after that even though not as direct but his actions spoke louder than his words. It was obvious and yet she didn't know why she never made her feelings known and said no to him. Back then she kind of knew she still had feelings for Dosan so why didn't she just let Jipyeong know? She has never had a problem in rejecting other men's past advances before. But why not with him? Was it because he never asked for an answer? Or she just didn't want to hurt his feelings? Or maybe she felt comfortable with their friendship and didn't want to ruin it? She wasn't sure and questioned herself times and times again...  
  
Even though things were going well with Dosan, but somehow it felt different. She just didn't feel the spark anymore and her heart didn't flutter as it did before. But Dosan has been so good to her, always agreeing to what she said, treating her like she was everything and the one and only thing in his life. She's his pride and joy. Even when the thought suffocating her at times but she felt loved.  
  
"Dalmi-ah....Dalmi-ah.."

She heard her name and snapped out of her thoughts, she turned around to see Dosan looking at her intently. "Dalmi-ah, what's wrong, what's on your mind that you didn't even realise I was calling you so many times?", Dosan asked, his brows furrowed. "Oh, were you? I'm sorry, it's nothing..., I was just thinking of the smart bidding", Dalmi responded looking the other way, trying to not look into Dosan's eyes, somehow she felt guilty...for thinking of someone else when she's now with Dosan and she should be happy with him. It's been a week since they got back together but they have been busy with the bidding that they haven't had the chance to even go on proper dates. They'd always be with the rest of SST team and she loved it that way, this was what she missed the most, being with the team, exchanging ideas, it excited her and made her feel nostalgic.

Dalmi finally turned to look at Dosan, questioning herself why she liked him then she thought of the things he'd done for her. Dosan was always the one who'd make it happen with his "hands", he made her dreams and ideas happened. He was the one who created NoonGil, he found an investor and managed to keep it alive, for her halmeoni's sake, he also saved her company from the ransomware, and now he was the one working on their smart car, the things he'd done for her were extraordinary, there's no doubt Dosan loved her. _Yes, I do like him_ , convincing herself. So when Dosan asked her for a date tonight, she readily said yes. After all, she'd chosen him.

\------  
  
Dalmi went home to get herself ready for tonight's date with Dosan, he'd come and pick her up any minute. She looked at herself in the mirror feeling satisfied with her outfit and ready to go so she said bye to her mum then thought of checking on halmeoni first before leaving and to also tell her she was going. Just when she's about to knock on the door, she overheard halmeoni talking to someone. Then she heard Jipyeong's name mentioned, _she's talking to him on the phone_. Her heart skipped a beat. She stayed outside of halmeoni’s bedroom door listening to the conversation. _Is he okay_ , she thought to herself.

"Jipyeong-ah, have you had dinner?", halmeoni asked then sighed, "You should eat and take care of yourself a bit more..". Dalmi felt her heart sink, her brows furrowed, _has he not been eating well?_ She blamed herself thinking she could be the reason why...she wanted to hear more, just to get a glimpse of what's been happening with him but her phone rang, it was Dosan. She shook her head lightly, no, she shouldn't be like this.

She chose Dosan and she shouldn't regret her decision. She liked him and should only think of him. Why else would she be so heartbroken when she broke up with him and when he left to US. "Dosan-ah, I'll be out in a second", Dalmi said over the phone. She quickly knocked and opened the door to let halmeoni know she'll be home late. "Alright, have fun, sweetheart". With that, she left the house and went on the first date with Dosan, to rekindle the relationship they had before he left to US.

\-----

Jipyeong hung up the phone, sitting all alone in the dark in his empty house, his eyes staring at nothing in particular. _She's going on a date with Dosan_....he gathered based on the little conversation he heard over the phone, even though they didn't mention Dosan's name but he figured as much. _That's right, she's happy and it's all that matters_. It's been a week already but it still hurt knowing. That gnawing pain he'd been trying to ignore since that day creeped back in. His eyes glanced on the plant he's cherished and nurtured all these times, a symbol of his slowly growing love for Dalmi. He forced a smile, how he regretted the times he should've been the one at the party, if only he used his own name, if only he told her the truth from the beginning, if only he was brave enough to take the thread on her hair, if only... “No, it'd be the same, nothing would change...”, he sighed and said to himself with a weak voice. He let himself swallowed in darkness and his thoughts, and then resolve came over him and at that moment he knew what he had to do. It was the best decision for himself and for everyone else.

\------

Another busy week flew pass for Dalmi and her company trying to win the smart city bid, things went on without Dalmi bumping into Jipyeong at all. Whenever she was at the vicinity of Sandbox building or walking pass one of the hallways, her eyes subconsciously looked around trying to see the sight of him. She had wished she would be able to at least seen him walk pass but he seemed to be so determined to do all just to avoid her. Ignoring the stirring feeling she couldn't quite put her finger in, she brushed it aside and buried herself with work, thinking it was because he had been a constant presence in her life for the past three years so it was a given that he would come into her mind from time to time, even though more than she should.

Today was the same, on the way back from lunch with SST guys and Saha, her eyes fleeted everywhere as she was walking one of the hallways, still no sight of him, she let out a low sigh. She glanced at Dosan walking next to her and immediately felt guilty again. Then before she could even think of anything else, out of the blue, she heard someone called Dosan's name. A foreigner waving from the other side of the hallway, he walked over to where they were and extended his hand for a handshake which Dosan readily accepted. Dalmi was curious as to who he was. When Dosan introduced the man to Dalmi as the representative from K.Jones, the US company investing in NoonGil, her eyes widened and she felt ecstatic to have the chance to meet with NoonGil's saviour. Dosan then asked if he needed to see him or if there was any issue with NoonGil. But the man mentioned he was here for a meeting with Han Ji Pyeong instead. Dalmi turned and looked at him, confused. _Why would he meet with Jipyeong and not Dosan?_ As the man continued his conversation with Dosan, she couldn't believe what she was hearing, based on what she gathered from the brief conversation, Jipyeong was the one who introduced K.Jones to Dosan. _He helped Dosan found an investor for NoonGil_ , _how come he's never mentioned anything_?

Alone at the exit stairs, the only place she could be alone, she was holding on to her phone, staring at Jipyeong's contact, biting her lower lip subconsciously, her thumb kept hovering on the dial. She was dying to ask Jipyeong in person about NoonGil, but with a sigh, she put the phone down and decided not to call. She promised herself not to contact him anymore, not after that text from him. _Was it pity? Was it guilt that made me keep thinking of him? It must've been_ , she convinced herself.

\------

Few more days passed since and smart city bidding was coming shortly, Dalmi drove to Seonju to do more research for their smart car bid. Meetings after meetings, and eventually she had the chance to take a breather. She looked at her surroundings, how she missed this city. She loved Seoul but Seonju was the city she was born and grew up in, the city where all her fondest memories and also saddest ones were. She breathed in the air and decided to walk around Seonju for old times sake. Arriving at halmeoni's old corndog shop where the birdhouse was, all memories came rushing back. How she waited for the letters, how they comforted her during her darkest days, her fluttered heart waiting in anticipation for the letters from her first love. The last time she was here was when she saw Jipyeong there, holding the letter she wrote for her first love, Nam Do San. The day she found out they were all lies.

All those were in the past now, she'd forgiven Jipyeong, halmeoni and also Dosan. But forgiving didn't mean that she had forgotten everything and it didn't hide the fact that it still hurt knowing all those years she was in love with an illusion of a boy she thought was her first love half of her life. That it was all just an elaborate lie by halmeoni and Jipyeong, and later on Dosan himself. But despite all that, she'd still cherish the memories, after all it was a part of her life and made her who she was today. Looking up she was mesmerised by the view, the cherry blossom leafs dancing all around her, just like that day.

Standing in front of the birdhouse, she decided to peek into it out of curiosity. Her heart stopped when she saw a letter in there, and a black box. She wasn't sure if the letter was meant to be for her, but curiosity got the better of her. She took it out of the birdhouse and saw her name written on the envelope, recognising his handwriting... _Han Ji Pyeong?_ With abated breath, she opened the letter, scanning through the words.

* * *

_Dalmi-ah,_

_Can I call you with that name? just once I'd like to address you that way, just like how it was when I used to write the letters to you. I hope it's ok…_

_I don't know if you'll ever read this letter. I don't even know where to start._

_T_ _hinking back, I've never been completely honest with you or with myself on how I felt about the letters before. To tell you the truth, when I started writing, it was to repay your halmeoni’s kindness, but it wasn’t long until I found myself waiting and missing your letters. I didn't have any friends back then, your letters comforted me during my darkest times, even after we stopped writing, I still held them close to my heart and re-read them again when I was struggling, your letters helped me survive._

_I'm sorry I stopped writing before, and I'm sorry I've never looked for you since. I was ashamed of myself and couldn't bring myself to face you and your halmeoni. Until one day I heard your name again. Back then, you were the only friend I had, when I met you again, you were the only one who'd be able to understand me. You touched me in a way you wouldn't be able to imagine, and without realising, the walls I've built around me have disappeared when I was with you as my feelings for you grew slowly and steadily the more I got to know you in person. The next thing I knew I've fallen in love with you. Your smile, your laugh, your resilience and persistence, your strength, passion and dreams, everything about you. All of those made me fall for you even more. I love you, Seo Dal Mi._

_But I know who's in your heart and that's not me. So as much as I want to be strong and still see your smile even though those smiles are not for me, I think I will be pathetic and a loser for quite a long time...that's why I decided it's best for me to leave. When I'm not a loser anymore, that's when I'd perhaps come back and be genuinely happy seeing you with him again.  
  
I've left this letter with a black box I've been wanting to give to you before but never had the chance to. Please don't be burdened by it and perhaps you could think of it as a farewell present? _

_Goodbye, Dalmi-ah, for the one last time.  
  
Thank you for the beautiful memory, and the feelings I didn't know I was capable of.  
  
Han Ji Pyeong  
  
_

* * *

Her hand trembled as she took the black box and opened it. It's the most beautiful ring she's ever seen but her view was now getting blurred from the tears welling up in her eyes.  
  
 _He's leaving. I'll never see him again._  
  
Her cheeks felt warm from the tears running down onto the letter and the box, her hand clutching at her heart, willing for the pain to stop. Why did it hurt so much knowing she wouldn't be able to see Jipyeong again? his dimpled smile, his warm eyes, his gentle hands, all the things he had done for her, his company and everything else about him. Reading his letter made her realise how much she'd missed him, longing for him, all these times she had taken him for granted. All the things he had done for her have planted the seeds in her heart little by little and now his presence had been planted firmly in her heart.

She thought she still loved Dosan, she realised now she was in love with the illusion of a man named "Nam Do San". The "Nam Do San" in her heart was not the real Dosan she's with now, it was Han Ji Pyeong, her first love and the one in her heart now. She's never regretted her choice before because she worked damn hard so she would never have to but how she regretted this. She turned quickly and ran to her car. _I have to see him, I can't let him leave_ , Dalmi thought to herself, wiping her tears.

\------

Jipyeong went to see halmeoni during the day, he knew Dalmi wouldn't be home around that time. His plane was leaving in a few hours but he needed to see halmeoni and said goodbye to her. He knew him leaving would make her sad, he's leaving again just like he did 18 years ago. Even though he's worried about her flailing health and her going blind completely but he couldn't stick around any longer, at least for now. Bringing his plant and a box of letters with him, with a heavy heart, he rang the bell.

"Halmeoni, if I were you, I would've gotten it over and done with", Jipyeong said to halmeoni when he asked her if there's anything else he could do to repay her. Halmeoni somehow sensed something was wrong, she knew he was hurting but this felt like he was trying to say goodbye. "Good Boy, are you going somewhere?", Jipyeong looked at halmeoni and said "you told me not to come when I'm doing well, I've been doing really well these days. I'm really busy, I will call you when I'm going through a rough time." "Don't do that", halmeoni cut him off, searching for his hand. She found it and held it tight, "Call me even if you're doing well, come visit me often, come see me whether something happens or not, come and talk nonsense."  
  
Hearing those words reopened the wound in his heart, looking the other way with redden eyes, he tried to hold back his tears, somewhat glad halmeoni couldn't see his face clearly at this moment. "Jipyeong-ah, don't get any lonelier, you shouldn't get used to being lonely, don't go Jipyeong-ah", halmeoni pleaded. As she said those words, no matter how much he tried to keep himself from crying, tears rolled down, halmeoni gave him the warmest hugs and patted his back. He sobbed as he hugged her tight. His heart was in pain, he didn't realise how much he needed this hug. He’d never felt this heartbroken before, this was after all the first time he’d ever loved someone so much that it hurt, he had no one else to pour his heart out with, only halmeoni knew how much he’s hurting inside even if he tried his best to keep it all inside.

He was devastated knowing he couldn't stay and do what halmeoni asked him to, for once he wanted to be selfish for himself. Before he left, he told halmeoni he's leaving behind the plant and the box of letters as he wanted a clean break so the easiest thing to do was to give them back to Dalmi, his feelings and memories, hoping this would help him to move on...

\------

Dalmi arrived at Sand Box building and quickly ran to Jipyeong's office. She didn't even bother knocking and barged in hoping to see him there but he was nowhere to be seen. She asked Dong Cheon what time he'd be back in the office as she couldn't get through to him. He then said the words Dalmi feared the most when she was driving back here, "Director Han? Oh, he wouldn't be coming back anytime soon, he's asked to be transferred to US. I think his flight is leaving in the next couple of hours". Dalmi was out the door before he even finished his sentence. Dong Cheon smiled thinking the situation was oddly familiar, the only other person who'd do the same thing to him was Han Ji Pyeong.

As Dalmi was running back to her car, the realisation hit her, _am I too late?_ she frantically tried to get to the airport before he got on the plane.  
  
"Why did you have to turn off your phone so early!?" She was anxious and frustrated at the same time, she couldn't get through to him no matter how many times she called, it just kept going to his voicemail. "Han Ji Pyeong-ssi, pick up your phone, please...", she pleaded as she dialled for what felt like a hundred time. Scanning through the crowds at the airport, there were too many people, she couldn't see the sight of him anywhere. At the counter, waiting area, everywhere, she looked everywhere, but as she turned to see the flock of crowd lining up at a gate, she saw a familiar figure, even from the back, she recognised him.

Dalmi ran as fast as she could, he was so close from entering the gate and disappearing from her life. “Han Ji Pyeong-ssi!”, she yelled out his name, each time louder than before, _turn around, Jipyeong-ssi, please look this way._ But it was useless, her voice was drowned by the buzzing of the crowds around her, in the end she saw his back walking through the gate.

Just then, as the gates were closing, Jipyeong stopped his stride and looked back, he must’ve been going crazy as he thought he heard Dalmi’s voice calling his name. He shook his head, _it can’t be_ , bewildered as to why he would’ve thought so. He turned around, looked straight in front of him and continued walking towards the long hallway to his flight, determined to leave everything behind him and never looked back.

The crowds were now blurred, she couldn’t see anything around her with tears in her eyes. _He’s gone…, he left…_ , she stood there in disbelief, staring at the gate wishing she would see him walking out and smiled at her again. But no matter how long she waited, she didn’t see his face again.

  
Later that night, Dalmi dragged her feet home and opened the door to her house, she was holding on to the letter and black box, her eyes still swollen from all the crying she did today. “I’m home” she said with a weak voice, then went straight to her room. Halmeoni heard her and wondered why Dalmi sounded that way.

Back in her room, Dalmi saw the plant on her desk, it’s the plant she gave to Dosan. The plant has grown so tall, she was touched at how much he took care of it, but then she saw a box next to it and opened the box. They’re filled with her letters. _Han Ji Pyeong?_ _Did he come here? he had the plant all these times, not Dosan?_ Wondering how she'd never seen the plant at Jipyeong's house whenever she came over.

Halmeoni knocked lightly and stood by Dalmi’s bedroom door “Dalmi-ah, are you ok? What’s wrong?”. Dalmi turned to her halmeoni, “did Han Ji Pyeong-ssi come by?”. “Yes, he came today to say his farewell, he’s leaving to work in US", halmeoni responded weakly. It was obvious from her voice that she was devastated, she loved Jipyeong like her own grandson. “As much as I wanted him to stay but I do know it’s the best for him” halmeoni continued, “He needs to do it to move on from you, Dalmi-ah. You’re happy now with Dosan and he wants you to be happy too, without any burden from anyone, especially from him". Dalmi looked at halmeoni trying to digest what she’s telling her at this moment, then she felt a stab in her heart when she heard halmeoni's next words. “That’s why he’s returned the plant and letters to you, he said he needed to leave his feelings and memories behind him now.”

As soon as halmeoni returned to her room, Dalmi closed her bedroom door slowly, pressing her back against the door, _he needed to leave his feelings and memories behind him now_ , the words kept repeating in her head as she looked at the plant and letters. She thought today couldn’t get any worse than seeing him walk in through that gate, but no, this was worse, much worst, _he wanted a clean break, nothing to do with me_. She went to sit at her desk, touching the leafs of the plant he nurtured so lovingly, _he really did love me, his love did grow slowly just like this plant_.

As she imagined of how he took care of the plant, his feelings for her, his warm smiles reserved only for her, how he'd always been there for her and comforted her every single time, just like how his letters used to in the past, her heart broke into a million pieces, but she only had herself to blame, the raw feelings of regret that always came too late. She couldn’t hold it any longer, repetitively hitting her chest lightly, wishing it would help ease the pain, but it was useless. The pain was too much, so she let it all out. Lying on her bed, holding on to her pillow, Dalmi cried herself to sleep that night and for many nights after.

\-----

Many months passed by, Dalmi’s company won the smart city bid and they’ve worked on other successful projects led by Dalmi and Dosan as CTO. Not long after the day Jipyeong left, Dalmi told Dosan how she really felt. She felt guilty for breaking his heart but she didn’t want to lie anymore, not since she realised to whom her heart belonged, who she really loved. It would be unfair to him.

Their relationship had now gone to more as business partners instead of romantic relationship and they were the perfect partners in business as their company grew bigger. Things were hard at first as they still had to work together and Dosan was going to quit the company at one time, but he finally changed his mind as he could see how it was affecting Dalmi and the rest of the team. He wanted to be Dalmi’s pride and joy but eventually he accepted the reality, he couldn’t force her to love him in the end, there was no more room for him in her heart no matter how much he tried. But she did love him at one stage so that was the only consolation he had. And after a while, Dosan also started to realise his childhood dream again, it was to build a company with his friends, and what he was doing now was close enough to that dream. He felt content and he has now learnt he should never have a person as his dream.

Despite being occupied with her company, Dalmi would still constantly think of Jipyeong from time to time. Things were especially hard when it was Chuseok holiday, he used to come every holidays and spent time with her and her family. She remembered the last Chuseok when he came over, they made food and played Go-Stop together, and he spent the night at her house, it was a regular thing for him to stay over during holidays or some random weekends. And then his birthday came and gone, during those 3 years before Dosan came back, they celebrated their birthdays together, and when it was hers, he would always find a way to make her felt extra special. He was such a gentleman, and the way he treated her so well and made sure her needs came first. He was the one she’d go to every time she needed advice, but in truth she realised now that she just loved being with him, looking at his handsome face and warm dimpled smile, listening to his velvety voice and how it never failed to comfort her. How come she never noticed these things before, she thought to herself. Dalmi smiled remembering all these but there was also pain in her eyes. The void left from not seeing him again was real. How she missed him, his smile, his warmth, his gestures, his company and how he’d always been there for her.

Looking at the plant and the ring on her finger, the present he left behind for her, the pain kept coming back like it was yesterday. Holding out the tears threatening to roll down again, she looked outside her window where the moon was shining bright and wondered how he was doing and wished that he would also still think of her..

\-----

Somewhere on the other side of the world, Jipyeong packed his bag as he was contemplating, was he ready for this, but he had no other choice, he had to be for his work. He was going back to Seoul for a few days to sort out a few things as instructed by CEO Yoon. “It’s only for a few days”, he said to himself, nodding as if agreeing with what he just said. Perhaps this could be a way of finding out if he has come out stronger now and maybe, just maybe he would be able to smile and be happy seeing Dalmi again, or even perhaps be indifferent if he ever saw her with Dosan. But he knew that’s not the case. He still thought of her, no matter how busy he was being the MD for SH Venture Capital’s expansion. Even though it helped in a way to keep himself busy, but the soonest his work didn't occupy his mind, his thoughts would still travel on its own and it always went back to her.

“Hey Yeongshil, what’s the weather like in Seoul tomorrow?” he asked his AI, which he had become attached to somehow, being the only thing keeping him company in this otherwise lonely life. “Strong wind will blow and fate will bring you back to where it all started. If you are brave enough to take the leap, even the most impossible dreams can come true”, his AI answered. Jipyeong's brow quirked, he was incredulous and in disbelief with the answer. He should be used to it by now but he thought Yeongshil had another upgrade and ever since then he’s been pretty accurate and never blurted out nonsense again, but why today…. He couldn’t help but fear of what’s coming for him. After all, Yeongshil had been somewhat accurate with its predictions before.

\-----

Feeling groggy from the long flight, Jipyeong stepped on the boundaries of Sandbox building. He stood there, taking a deep breath and exhaled, he prepared himself for whatever was coming his way, hoping he would never bump into anyone, especially Dalmi and her Dosan.

Jipyeong opened the door and walked into his old office where his staff cheered and welcomed him back. His lips curved showing the dimples on his cheeks even though he tried to keep a poker face, he was glad to know he was missed, but he’d never let it show. After having back-to-back meetings all day, he felt exhausted as he was sitting in the meeting room chair in his old office, he closed his eyes to rest. As the rest of the staff started coming back from lunch, he overheard Dong Cheon mentioned Dalmi’s name. He opened his eyes and sat up. His heart skipped a beat, from the corner of his eyes, he saw Dalmi outside talking to Dong Cheon. Luckily he’s told Dong Cheon before not to tell anyone he’s back here, he just hoped Dong Cheon wouldn’t slip, not that he would. Even though Jipyeong never mentioned anything, Dong Cheon knew the real reason why he transferred to US. So when Dong Cheon saw Dalmi coming, he purposely said Dalmi’s name loud to warn Jipyeong so he wouldn’t come out of the room.

Jipyeong stood up and slowly walked to the side of the meeting room window, being extra careful so Dalmi wouldn't be able to see him in there. His eyes were glued to her, revelling at the beauty. _She’s still beautiful as ever,_ Jipyeong thought as he took in the sight in front of him from inside the meeting room. A warm smile formed on his face, how he missed seeing her face, hearing her voice. He continued to watch her from inside until she left, then let out a huge breath, not realising he’s been holding it the whole time. He took a deep breath, “Han Ji Pyeong, you’re still so pathetic...”, he sighed, mocking and laughing at himself for being this way.

The soonest he thought was safe, Jipyeong walked out and went for a walk, he had to get out of the building. He felt stupid for being this way and for him to still not able to forget Dalmi after all these times being away. What he needed right now was a good company, his work for the day was done so he thought he should see halmeoni while he’s here. He missed her too, but with her, he still called once every few weeks just to check up on her, to make sure she’s ok and to talk nonsense, just like what she asked him to before he left. _It should be safe_ , he thought to himself as it seemed like Dalmi would still be at work for a while.

_\-----_

The reunion with halmeoni was always heartfelt and warmed his heart, she’s after all the only "family" he had. Even Dalmi's mum warmly welcomed him, treating him like her own son. Halmeoni and Dalmi's mum insisted he stayed for early dinner. They even made his favourite food. He was touched by the gesture and it reminded him of how he missed spending time with the Seo family, and it especially reminded him of Dalmi... Even though he wanted to spend more time with them but as it's getting late, he was worried Dalmi would come home any minute. He asked halmeoni and Dalmi's mum to keep his visit to themselves before leaving and went back to his apartment.

First day was sort of safe, but what he did today when he saw her at the office showed that he still wasn’t ready. If this was how he felt today, he wasn’t sure how he’d feel if he ever bumped into Dalmi and Dosan together and seeing them as lovers. He shook his head, trying to shake it off his mind. _Just a few more days to go, hang in there_.

\-----

When Dalmi went home later than usual that night due to workload, she saw halmeoni and her mum sitting at the dining table. “I’m home, what’s for dinner?”, she asked then saw the arrays of leftover food on the table, they were all Jipyeong’s favourite, “What’s going on today, it’s unusual for you to cook these food on a random night”. “Because they’re Jipyeong’s (favourite food)” Dalmi’s mum blurted out before halmeoni nudged her, reminding her not to say anything. The awkward interaction wasn't lost to Dalmi but she didn’t think more of it. “They’re his favourite, right halmeoni? You must miss him too”, she said with a smile on her face. “ah, yes..”, halmeoni responded, forcing a laugh. Halmeoni thought she must’ve heard wrong, did Dalmi say _miss him too_? Since Jipyeong left, her family noticed she seemed to be withdrawn, no more of the same energy and animation in her voice like she had before. Her family suspected she had relationship issues with Dosan because he stopped coming over and she hasn't talked about him for a long time, always avoiding the conversation whenever they asked about it. Her answer would always be the same, that she was too tired from workload, she was after all the CEO of her company.

\-----

The next couple of days, Jipyeong managed to not bump into Dalmi or Dosan, not even any of the SST guys. So when the last day came, he was now feeling more confident that he wouldn't get to see what he dreaded the most. As he was waiting for the lift to go home, he scoffed, “Yeongshil’s prediction was wrong after all” with a big dimpled smile to show he’d won. But then, the door to the lift started to open to reveal a familiar figure...Dosan. His smile fell. He couldn’t believe his eyes, why did he have to see him now, he was so close to leaving the office without having to deal with any of this. Dosan's eyes widened, surprised to see him, “Director Han…” “How?” “Why are you here?”. Jipyeong let out a big sigh, here we go, readying himself. He walked into the lift and tried to be neutral and polite, he’s just glad Dalmi wasn’t there as well. "Nam Do San-ssi” acknowledging as he stood beside Dosan in the lift, keeping his distance. Dosan surprised him by smiling at him and said “it’s good to see you, Director Han”. His brows furrowed, not expecting this kind of courtesy from Dosan. “Likewise, Nam Do San-ssi”, Jipyeong responded, returning the courtesy. “Are you back in Korea now?” “Does Dalmi know you’re here?”, Dosan continued. He turned to look at Do San, “Ah, no, she doesn’t, and she won’t, I’m here for work so don't worry, I’ll be leaving tomorrow.”

He figured Do San must felt uncomfortable having him around. Why he had to feel that way was beyond him, he shouldn’t feel that way anymore, but he figured he’d probably feel the same if he was Dosan. “So soon?” Do San asked. Jipyeong was now more confused, this Dosan felt different to the old Dosan. He’s much more mature and didn’t have the animosity toward him anymore like he used to. “Yes, I shouldn’t stick around for too long, there’s really nothing for me here.” _Except for halmeoni I guess_ , he thought to himself but he couldn’t even go to her often since she was after all Dalmi’s halmeoni. The lift door to the basement parking finally opened, as they walked out of the lift, he mustered up the words, “I hope things are going well for both of you”, wincing at every words coming out of his mouth. “Ah...thanks..”, Dosan hesitated. Then they briefly exchanged light polite bows, and walked toward different directions to their parked cars.

 _Good job_ , he thought to himself as he sat in his car. That wasn't too bad, he managed to stay collected. He was satisfied with himself. _I can do this_. But just as he was driving out of the carpark, he saw Dalmi’s car passed him. _No, I can't_. He thanked God he didn’t get to see them together. He would’ve if he left too late.

At the same time, Dalmi saw a car coming out of the carpark and she could’ve sworn the driver was Jipyeong, she hit the break and turned around to have a second look but the car was already out of sight. _It can’t be, he's not here, and that’s not his usual black matte car,_ shaking her head thinking how silly of her to start imagining things now. Then again it's not the first time she's mistaken other poor strangers as Jipyeong, leaving her embarassed every single time and yet despite the disappointments and pain that came straight after, she never stopped wishing and hoping…

As she parked her car, she saw Dosan in his, he seemed to have a lot of things in his mind. She walked up to him and knocked on his car window. Dosan looked up and smiled when he saw her, “Dalmi-ah”. “What are you thinking of so intently, Dosan-ah?”, she asked playfully. Dosan looked at her, he wasn’t sure if he should tell Dalmi of what just happened, the fact that Jipyeong’s here. After all, he’s leaving tomorrow, she’d probably end up getting hurt when he leaves. “It’s nothing, I was just trying to figure out the coding for this new idea of mine, you’ll hear about it soon”, he responded. "ok, can't wait, see you tomorrow!", she smiled and started walking toward the lift.

\-----

The sunlight this morning was shining too bright through Jipyeong's bedroom window, he opened his eyes and slowly waking up. Lying still in his bed, he stared at the ceiling for a while, still feeling the aftereffect of his dream. Last night, it took him back to where it all began, only this time, he did everything differently, his put his name on the letters, he went to the party and met Dalmi, in his dream he was brave enough to take the thread of her hair, held her hands, kissing her and loving her openly. It was such a vivid dream, it almost felt real that when he woke up, sadness came over him. But he was also thankful to be able to feel that way, even if it was only in his dreams, he smiled remembering how he felt. He’s much stronger now, he could live with it, “It’s ok, this is enough”, the same words he used over and over again to convince himself, but it didn't stop the pain that came after, he lifted his arm and covered his eyes not willing to let a single tear out.

After getting himself ready and packed his bag, Jipyeong had the whole day to kill before his flight tonight. He already met halmeoni briefly yesterday to say goodbye, so he thought he could just try to do some work in the meantime to get his mind off things. Except he couldn’t focus on any work in front of him, his mind kept going back to his dream, her smile, her lips, her loving eyes, her laughter, and her warmth. And then the realisation hit him, the fact that he wouldn’t see her face again…. “if you can be brave enough to take the leap, even the most impossible dreams can come true”. Could he leave without seeing her again?…No…he wanted to see her for just one last time, even if it'd open up an old wound, he didn't care anymore. Then he thought of the letter and the ring in a black box he left at the birdhouse. His feelings that he'd never said to Dalmi in person, the feelings he put in the black box which he never got the chance to give her. He drove to Seonju hoping they were still there. He knew it wasn't the right thing to do by Dosan, for him to still want to see Dalmi and give her the letter in person. But he needed to do it, he had to hear the answer, so maybe he could then move on once and for all.

It didn’t take him long to get to Seonju, he sped all the way there. He arrived at halmeoni's old corndog shop and peeked into the birdhouse. The black box was gone but there were letters there. Just then, his phone rang with an unknown number, he was using a temporary number for this trip since he disconnected his old number. So no one knew this number except halmeoni, Dong Cheon and CEO Yoon, _must be the office, does it have to be now?_ He answered the call, his eyes widened, surprised to hear the voice on the other line.

“Nam Do San-ssi?” he was baffled as to why Dosan would call him, how did he even know his new number? “Is there something I can help you with?” he figured perhaps Dalmi’s company was in trouble and they needed his help.

“I’m returning the favour”

“What do you mean?...What favour?”, Jipyeong asked genuinely confused.

“Director Han, I’m also going to only say this once…so please listen...Dalmi and I have broken up for quite a while, in fact since you left...I’m not the one who Dalmi likes, she’s been waiting for you to come back all these times.”

Still looking down on his phone after he hung up, he couldn’t quite grasp what he just heard. Were all the words Dosan said true? Was he still in his dreams? It sure felt like it.

He looked up and peeked into the birdhouse again and took the letters out, his heart skipped a beat. His name were written on them, the letters were for him. Were these letters from Dalmi? It's her handwriting. He was about to open one of the letters when he looked up subconsciously and his eyes caught a sight of Dalmi standing not far from him, his eyes widened.

Even though there were some distance between them but she's close enough for him to see the tears in her eyes. Holding on to the letters, his heart was racing as she slowly walked closer to him.

"Han Ji Pyeong-ssi..." Dalmi called out his name softly.

_\----_

_"One day, I hope she would notice and look at me"_

Dalmi was looking straight into his eyes, just like that day when they met at the birdhouse, when all the lies unravelled. Only this time...this time was different, the way she looked at him was not the same as before. "Dalmi-ssi" he whispered her name gently, unwilling to call out her name any louder for fear it might wake him up from this dream.

"When did you come back?", she smiled through her tears. "Few days ago", he responded weakly. Her smile slowly fell. "Then..are you back here for good?", she asked, her voice shaking. He stared into her eyes, his heart aching knowing this would be the last time he'd see her, "...No, I'm leaving tonight..". As he said the words, her smile completely disappeared and Jipyeong saw the fresh tears welling up in her eyes, her lips trembled and she looked visibly shaken by what he just told her. This gave him a glimpse of hope..., if what Dosan told him was true then….

He took a deep breath and willed his heart to calm down, gathering the last ounce of courage he had, it's now or never, fate must've brought them here so he needed to take this chance. "But before I leave, I wanted to tell you something in person", he continued. He wouldn't need to give her the letter anymore, she's right here in front of him.

"Dalmi-ssi, I've never been one to show how I feel, it's especially hard when it comes to you, because I never want to see the smile on your face disappear…But I need to try to swing my bat one last time, even if I wouldn’t hear the answer I wanted…”. His heart was racing even faster than before as he gathered more courage, “I love you, Dalmi-ssi, even until now my feelings remain the same....being away hasn't really helped much, it only made me miss you more", he said with a sad smile. He looked at her intently, the same way he did when he first confessed to her. Only this time, he needed to hear the answer, unlike the last time, he didn’t want to be afraid and run away anymore. At least perhaps hearing the answer would help him move on. He swallowed, his lips and throat felt dry, nerves taking over him. Lowering his eyes, he prepared himself for the worst, “Dalmi-ssi, I…”. He was about to continue when all of a sudden he felt the warm embrace. Dalmi had her arms wrapped around him, he stood frozen.

 _He’s here, he’s really here!_ Dalmi thought it was just another illusion because of how much she thought of him, and how much she missed him. And now holding him and hearing those words from him, she could no longer hold it in. _He still loves me._

“Han Ji Pyeong-ssi...”, Dalmi said softly with her arms still wrapped around him, she couldn’t stop her tears from falling, tears of happiness, her heart swelled with love for him, “Thank you…thank you for telling me all these”.

Tears also started to well in Jipyeong’s eyes, this felt just like in his dream last night, was he still dreaming? _if it is, then let me just embrace this moment for now..._

Jipyeong wrapped his arms around Dalmi and held her tight, he closed his eyes and breathing in her sweet scent. _I love her, more than I knew was possible._ Still holding her tight, unwilling to let go, he loosened his embrace just enough to look at Dalmi’s face.

He looked into Dalmi's eyes never breaking contact, the sweetest dimpled smile on his face. How she missed seeing this smile. But there was also a look of uncertainty on his face. He wasn't sure what to think of this. “This is my answer, Jipyeong-ssi”, reassuring him, she wanted him to know how she really felt. Her heart raced, “I’m sorry I didn’t realise it sooner and I ended up hurting you…” “I feel the same way about you...the day you left was the worst day of my life because I realised it’s been you all along, my first love and my present love. And..if I could be greedy, I also want it to be my last.”

 _She feels the same way…,_ the words kept repeating in his mind _._ Jipyeong couldn’t hold his tears any longer, with trembling hand, he softly wiped her tears, looking into her eyes, his face inching closer to hers, his eyes averted to her soft lips, his finger touching her lips gently. Their lips were now only an inch apart, then finally his lips touched hers. He kissed her softly at first, Dalmi responded. His heart raced, he pulled her closer to him, cupping her face with his hand, he kissed her again with all the emotions he’d felt all these times, he’d imagined this hundreds of time in his mind but he never dared to dream or wished it to ever come true, all the passion and desire he’s kept to himself. Dalmi wrapped her hands around his neck and kissed him with same amount of passion, if not more. She felt weak in the knees, swooning from his kisses, she was glad he was holding her tight. They kissed for a while, each second getting more intense, their hearts racing, until they finally broke the kiss, gasping for air. Foreheads still touching, they both smiled and laughed softly. Jipyeong moved his head back slightly just to look at her. He caressed her cheeks gently, Dalmi closed her eyes for a moment and touched his hand, a smile formed on her face.

When she opened her eyes, she saw jipyeong looking at her intently. “Thank you, Dalmi-ssi” he said softly, “for making me feel the happiest I’ve ever been in my life...I love you”. Dalmi blushed, her heart raced, how could she not when the love of her live, this gorgeous man in front of her, saying all these things and looking at her with those eyes. She couldn’t hold any longer or her heart would explode, this time she went in for another kiss. She wanted more and more of him, the sweet taste of his lips, more of his warm embrace, his love.

  
Jipyeong and Dalmi were still in each other’s arms, Dalmi burying her head in his chest then he kissed her forehead. After a while, they realised they were getting stares from people walking pass. Blushing, they let go of each other slowly, but Jipyeong took Dalmi’s hand, their fingers intertwined, not wanting to completely let go. They were smiling ears to ears like fools in love.

They decided to take a walk at a park close by, remembering how they used to walk this long road on the way to halmeoni’s corndog shop. Back then they were walking separately along this road, but now they’re walking hand in hand. Jipyeong kept staring at Dalmi with a huge dimpled smile on his face, and when Dalmi looked back at him and caught him staring, Jipyeong blushed and had the most adorable shy smile on his face, she’d never seen him like this before. She didn’t know the formidable and ruthless Han Ji Pyeong could be this way. She smiled knowing she was the only one he has shown this expression to and it’s for her eyes only. She didn’t want to share him with anyone.

They kept walking in comfortable silence until Jipyeong finally said, “Dalmi-ssi…, can I ask you something?”. He was curious of why she was here in the first place, quite a drive from her office. Was it really fate? Incredulous as he was, he started to believe Yongshil’s predictions were all true. “Anything”, she smiled. “Why were you here today out of all places?”, he asked. “I could ask you the same question”, she responded with a cheeky smile and playful eyes. His heart skipped a beat seeing her smile and being this way with him, _adorable_ , how could she be more beautiful than ever. He smiled thinking of her question, true, he’s far away from where he was supposed to be, “I came to take the letter I left for you in the birdhouse because I wanted to give it to you in person...but the letter was gone along with a black box I left with it…instead I found these”, he took out the letters which he somehow managed to put in his pockets, “…with my name on them”.

Dalmi looked into his eyes, “I wrote those letters for you…because I missed you so much, so I poured out my feelings for you in the letters and put them in the birdhouse, it’s a way for me to cope…”. His heart filled with warmth, holding onto the letters in his hand. “I found your letter the day you left. That’s when I realised how I really felt about you. I tried looking for you everywhere to tell you how I feel but I was too late, you never turned around…”, she continued, looking the other way not wanting to show the pain in her eyes.

That’s when he realised it was probably her calling his name after all. _Was she really at the airport that day?_ “Could it be…you were at the airport?”, he asked. Dalmi nodded confirming his suspicion. He sighed, frustrated at himself. He could’ve saved all the pain and be with her right there and then. He had wasted so much time but he promised to make it up from now on. He held her hand even tighter, pulled her closer and kissed her forehead, “I’m sorry I left...Sorry I wasn’t strong enough to stick around, if only I had stayed..”. But Dalmi wouldn’t have none of it, she knew how hard it was for him back then, she would’ve done the same, she was the one who was blind and didn’t realise it sooner. She let go of his hand and turned towards him. “No, please don’t apologise, I only have myself to blame..but everything happened for a reason right, so let’s just look forward to our future". It never ceased to amaze him of how resilient and positive Dalmi’s outlook in life was, it’s one of things that made him fall in love with her. “I chose you, Han Ji Pyeong-ssi” she teased, extending her hand the same way she did that day at the rooftop when she chose him as mentor. Jipyeong played along with her, with his dimpled smile, he responded “you’ll regret choosing me”. Dalmi looked straight into his eyes, determination in hers, “Don’t worry, losing you before was the only biggest regret of my life and I don’t plan to have anymore in the future”. Jipyeong took her hand, eyes on Dalmi’s, he pulled her close and kissed her again passionately.

\-----

Jipyeong was driving in the car with Dalmi in his passenger seat. He insisted in driving her home, even though Dalmi said she drove to Seonju. But he just wanted to spend more time with her, didn’t want to miss every single second. He would go to Seonju and grab her car himself later, he convinced her, even though it would be such a hassle but he’d rather do this so she could ride with him in his car. With his eyes still on the road, he extended his free hand, wanting Dalmi to take his hand so they can hold hands all the way home. Dalmi looked at him, he glanced at her briefly and signalled Dalmi with his eyes to take it, then eyes back onto the road. She smiled and took his hand, making Jipyeong grinned widely, with dimples on his cheeks, smiling like a little boy, unable to contain his happiness.

During the drive, in his mind, he was already calculating how he was going to get himself transferred back to Korea. This would be a very difficult conversation with CEO Yoon, he was the one who asked to be transferred to US. First thing first would be to cancel the flight tonight. He would try to work remotely for now.

_To be continued..._


	2. Dreams Can Come True

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a continuation of the startup fanfic story after Jipyeong and Dalmi met again, following the first chapter Back to Where It All Started.
> 
> I want to give Jipyeong all the happiness in the world, and yes there'll be plenty of kisses and more, so this one has mature content, beware!
> 
> Hope the story still makes sense because I don't have any startup reference anymore to follow after the first chapter. Still can't believe they ruined what could've been one of the best drama (for me at least). JIDAL clown forever!

## Dreams can come true

* * *

_"If you're brave enough to take the leap, even the most impossible dreams can come true"_

* * *

Jipyeong and Dalmi stood at the entrance of Dalmi’s house, they were holding hands as he greeted halmeoni and Dalmi's mum. The look of surprise on her mum's face was palpable, as her eyes fell on their hands then onto their faces, and back to the hands. Noticing her mum's reaction, he felt perhaps it was a bit inappropriate to be holding hands in front of them, so he loosened his hold and was going to let go but Dalmi held his hand even tighter. She turned to look at him and smiled, reassuring. His lips curved and dimples were now back on his cheeks.

Halmeoni not being able to really see what was happening, she thought she had to pretend this was the first time she met him again. He did ask them to keep quiet about his visit before to avoid Dalmi. “Aigoo, Good Boy, when did you come back?”, halmeoni asked trying to put on a show. Little did she know, Jipyeong already filled Dalmi in about his secret visits during the drive back to her house. Dalmi stifled a laugh, seeing how bad halmeoni's acting was.

His lips pursed seeing dear halmeoni trying to cover up for him. He cleared his throat, then said in a loud whisper, “halmeoni, she knows..”. "Knows what….ah, she does!?”, halmeoni asked confirming as she realised what he was telling her. Dalmi’s mum then thought she should fill her in and whispered in her ears, “Eommoni, they’re holding hands right now.”

“WHAT?”, halmeoni yelled, startling everyone. “So…you’re both…how?”, she smiled widely. She couldn’t contain her happiness, it’s like a dream come true. She always wished Dalmi and Jipyeong could be together, she loved them the same. Even Dalmi’s mum was now grinning, seeing how happy Dalmi was right now. All these times they thought Dalmi was unhappy because of relationship issue with Dosan, but now they knew what the real reason was, she hasn’t smiled like this since Jipyeong left.

“Halmeoni, it’s going to be a long story, so I’ll tell you later. Right now, should we all have dinner first? I’m hungry”, Dalmi said, then turned to Jipyeong, ”You can stay for dinner, right?”. He smiled and nodded, “of course, I’d love to.”

The night was filled with lots of love, warmth and laughter. They made grilled beltfish which had become his favourite food now. This time Dalmi gave him the biggest piece, inducing teases from her family and laughter afterwards. Jipyeong was so happy he couldn’t hide his wide dimpled smile from showing and was grinning from ear to ear.

 _It couldn’t get any better than this_ , Jipyeong thought, looking into Dalmi’s eyes as he was leaving after dinner. “Go inside, it’s getting chilly”, he said softly. “Ok, drive safely, I’ll see you tomorrow morning?”, she asked. He would have to go to Seonju to pick up Dalmi’s car early tomorrow morning since it was too late now. He smiled and nodded then kissed her forehead lightly, “Good night, sweet dreams”. He still couldn’t believe he was now holding her hand and bidding her goodnight. He wanted to kiss her lips again like he did today when they were at Seonju but he was afraid it’d be too much for her in one day. He wouldn’t dare to ask for more, so every little thing he could get was enough for him.

 _That’s it?_ Dalmi was feeling a bit disappointed. If only Jipyeong knew she wanted more than just a light kiss on the forehead, remembering the kisses they shared previously. She blushed, touching her cheeks as they’re getting warm and red. Jipyeong noticed the blush, “what are you thinking of?”, he asked with a cheeky smile. “Nothing…”, she averted her eyes somewhere else, unable to look at him in the eyes, feeling embarrassed. His lips curved, trying to hold his big smile threatening to come out any second. When he finally managed to regain his composure, he lowered his head so he could see her face but she was still avoiding eye contact. Then he called her softly, “Dalmi-ah”.

It was the first time he ever called her that way in person, how she wished this to happen and imagined it in her head so many times when he was gone. She finally turned and looked at him.

“Please keep looking at me with those eyes and never look the other way…”, he said, staring intently into her eyes. His words made her heart flutter, _how could I look the other way when you’re looking at me like that_. Before she even realised, she already felt the warm touch of his lips on hers. Holding her tight, he kissed her the same way he did before at Seonju. She was swooning again from his kisses. "Now it's really goodnight", he said softly with a big smile on his face.

The soonest Dalmi walked inside the house, she put her hand on her chest, her heart still racing like she had been running marathon. Her face still felt so warm, she fanned herself with her other hand. When she walked into the living room, halmeoni and her mum were waiting with a big grin on both their faces, “I think you owe us an explanation, Dalmi-ah”, her mum teased. She groaned and rolled her eyes but she knew this was coming. So she sat down and told them everything.

\------

Back at Jipyeong's apartment, he was lying on his bed in his pyjamas, grinning like a fool remembering what happened today and the letters from Dalmi. He had read her letters over and over again the soonest he got home. She did pour out her feelings into the letters, each of them showed how much she had missed him. His red glassy eyes stared at the words, _I love you, Han Ji Pyeong_.

 _I don’t think I’ll get any sleep tonight,_ he sighed, still lying on his bed. But he was ok with that, he didn’t care if he wouldn’t be able to sleep and be a wreck tomorrow, he wanted to savour these feelings he was having now. “Yeongshil-ah, I can’t sleep”, he said to his AI. “You must have something on your mind”, his AI answered. He smiled hearing the answer, staring at the ceiling he said, “Yes…, I’m happy...really really happy”. _But also afraid at the same time._ He was not used to this much happiness in his life that he was afraid it’d be taken away from him sooner or later, just like how it had been all his life. Or even worse, perhaps he would wake up tomorrow and realised what happened today was all just another dream.

\------

The next morning Jipyeong waited outside of Dalmi’s house, leaning on her car that he picked up early hours in the morning as promised. He had to catch a cab there and drove it back to Seoul. Dalmi opened the gate of her house and saw him. A wide smile formed on her face. “you’re really here…”, she said in a low voice, almost a whisper. Jipyeong's brows raised, a bit confused of her words just then. “Ah, yes, a promise is a promise....I did tell you I’ll bring your car back here...?”, he hesitated, uncertainty in his voice, for a second he thought what he feared came true. “You did”, she quickly reassured him, “I just…I was afraid it wasn’t real, what happened yesterday…I couldn’t even sleep last night, I thought if I slept then wake up, you’d be gone again”. Hearing her words warmed his heart, because he too felt the same way. “Me too...”, he said as he looked at her with a sheepish smile. They both laughed at themselves for being so foolish.

He opened the passenger door to Dalmi’s car and let her in, protecting her head all the while so she wouldn’t hit her head. The gesture wasn’t lost to her, she smiled feeling proud of how much of a gentleman he was, “her man”. He insisted in driving her to the office, using the excuse that he would also need to talk to CEO Yoon, which was true in a way even though he didn’t have to do it on the very same day. But this was one of the ways for him to be able to spend more time with her.

On the way to Sand Box building, they had agreed to try to keep things professional between them when they’re at workplace. So when they arrived, they only walked beside each other at the carpark, while repeatedly looking at one another and smiled, much like any other fools in love. When they got in the lift, they stood very close to each other that Jipyeong's hand kept brushing her hand lightly and it took his whole being not to just take her hand and kiss her in that empty lift. Looking the other way, he swallowed and loosened his collar, feeling a bit suffocated, he cleared his throat. Dalmi smirked seeing him like this, she felt smug knowing she was the only one who could make him be this way. She quickly grabbed his hand, making Jipyeong turned to her with a startled look on his face. She had a playful smile on her face, “Just for a second”. Returning her smile, he held her hand tighter and didn’t let go until she had to walk out of the lift to her office. They stared at each other until the lift door closed completely, separating the two lovers.

\------

“Seo Dal Mi!...Nim”, Saha partly shouted at Dalmi when she walked into her office, startling everyone including her. Saha grabbed her wrist and dragged her out, “we need to talk”. They were now at the ladies’ room, Saha probed Dalmi and asked why she was away from the office all day and was unreachable, having already heard from Dosan that Jipyeong was back. So Dalmi told her everything that happened yesterday. After all Saha was the only one whom she had poured out her feelings to about Jipyeong before. But that was all because Saha was being sharp and put two and two together, she figured it out herself and confronted Dalmi about it, otherwise she wouldn’t had said anything because of the shame for being so stupid in not realising her own feelings before, she never stopped blaming herself.

“I bet you he’ll propose soon and you’ll be married in no time”, Saha blurted out like it was nothing. Dalmi blushed and touched her warm cheeks, “Ya, are you crazy? what are you talking about, we just started”. Saha shrugged, “does it matter? You just started but he had been waiting on the sideline for you for three god damn years!". "So you’ll reject him if he propose?”, Saha continued to probe. Dalmi was taken aback by the question, she couldn’t even think of this yet, she was just happy he was back and they were now together, but she didn’t think that far ahead. Of course, now the thought of him proposing made her heart skip a beat, would she be ready for it, she wondered. As she started to imagine herself wearing a wedding dress and Jipyeong at the altar looking as gorgeous as ever wearing a black tux, his hair perfectly slicked back, smiling at her with dimples on his cheeks, her heart fluttered.

“So..., yes or no?”, Saha’s voice brought her back to reality. “Will you reject him if he propose now?”, Saha asked, her lips quirked as if she knew what Dalmi was going to say. Dalmi looked at her and said shyly, “if he propose, then I’ll say…..yes, a million times yes!”. Saha squealed, she was so happy for her friend to finally be happy again. She put her hands on Dalmi’s shoulder, facing Dalmi and with a serious face she said, “well, let’s just hope he’s as smart as he looks and not wait for too long".

\------

The talk with CEO Yoon was a lot easier than Jipyeong expected, in fact it seemed like CEO Yoon had already prepared everything in advance for his transfer back to Korea. He was even given a room to himself to make it easier for him to work remotely as there would be a lot of phone calls he had to make during the transition. Working remotely would be a challenge for a man in his position but he’d rather do this than having to leave Korea. Sooner or later though, he knew he would eventually have to go back to US just to tie up loose ends and pack up his things there and bring them all back.

Looking at his watch, it’s almost lunch time, _what is she doing for lunch today?_ He wanted to try to swing pass Dalmi’s office and ask her to have lunch with him. But they did agree to be extra careful and keep it professional at workplace. He texted her instead. _Dalmi-ah, how’s your day been? what are you doing for lunch?_

Going back to her desk after a meeting, Dalmi looked at her phone and saw the text from Jipyeong. _Finally!_ She'd been waiting to hear from him all morning and rejecting everyone’s lunch invite. It would be just like before, except he used to text then showed up at her office not even a minute after she responded yes. She smiled remembering those times, _he must’ve been waiting outside that whole time_. Dalmi texted him back to let him know that she had no plans yet.

Dong Cheon was in the middle of talking to Jipyeong about a new company he had found recently. But when a text from Dalmi came, Jipyeong jumped out of his seat, startling Dong Cheon. A big smile was now on his face. "Let's talk about it later", he said to Dong Cheon while walking out, he was out the door in no time, leaving Dong Cheon standing there. Dong Cheon hadn't seen Jipyeong smile like that for a long time, "something good must've happened". He knew something was up when Jipyeong asked him to cancel his flight yesterday, and he figured it must have had something to do with Dalmi.

Jipyeong called Dalmi and asked to meet at bibimguksu restaurant. Even though Dalmi knew it was because of what they agreed this morning, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed deep down for not seeing Jipyeong walk into her office like he used to. She looked at Dosan sitting not far away in their office, _no it’s probably for the best, I’d still feel bad for Dosan._

At Bibimguksu restaurant, they were sitting at the same table where he first confessed to her, the owner having known them as regulars always sat them at same table. He smiled remembering the day he confessed to her, managing to hide that he was a nervous wreck inside at that time. And how they had been having lunches together at the same spot during those 3 years, him always wishing that one day she would look at him as a man, and not just as a friend or mentor. And now here they were together as a couple.

“What are you thinking of?", Dalmi asked, her voice brought him back from his train of thoughts. With a shy smile he said, “The day I confessed”. She blushed. “I might not seem like it, but I was so nervous then. I was so afraid you’d reject me right there and then so I told you I didn’t need the answer. I almost regretted confessing…..But someone told me to have faith, and trust our ancestors”, he continued with a smile on his face remembering how weird the whole thing was.

Dalmi stared at him as she remembered someone telling her something similar. _Must be fate_ , she thought, smiling. She was thankful that he did, remembering his confession, looking at him, she had the sudden urge to be truthful and let it all out.

"I've never told you this before...when you confessed, it actually fluttered my heart. But at that time I was so confused and still hurting from the lie....I think since then my mind and pride kept blocking my heart from letting you in..., but of course they failed miserably...", she poured out her feelings with abandonment as she looked straight into his eyes. The smile on his face fell, remembering how he had hurt her from the lie, unable to hide the pain in his eyes just as she was unable to hide it either. His brows furrowed. They both had hurt each other greatly. She hated seeing the smile disappeared from his face, she had hurt him as well because of her stupid pride, and all it did was hurt herself in the process. But that was all in the past now, she would do anything to be with him from now on.

"Dalmi-ah, I'm sorry...I-", he started to talk but Dalmi put her hand up stopping him from saying anything further. "No, please stop, no more apologising, you've apologised enough for the past 3 years. I should be the one apologising for hurting you that way, and hurting myself in the process. I never stopped blaming myself for it....", she looked down unable to look at him in the eyes, she felt undeserving of his love.

His heart ached from seeing her this way, there was nothing he wouldn't do to never see her smile disappear. "Dalmi-ah..", he called her name softly, his voice hoarse from the emotion he was feeling at the moment.

She finally looked up at him, then the warm smile and dimples on his face slowly appeared, making her heart fluttered again. He extended his hand from across the table, looking straight into her eyes, wanting her to take it. She slowly took his hand then he held it tight. The warmth of his touch also warmed her heart.

"Thank you...for letting me in and returning my feelings...it's fair to say we both have hurt each other but just like what you said yesterday, let's just look forward to our future, hm?", he said as he warmly smiled at her. She stared at him with glassy eyes, then she slowly returned his smile, "Yes", she responded breathlessly.

They stared at each other and held hands for a while until their order came, breaking them from their reverie. He slowly let go of her hand and swiftly mixed the bibimguksu and put the bowl in front of her, just like the day he confessed and how he used to for the past 3 years during their lunches. She stared at him all the while, her eyes following his every move, warmly smiling the whole time, feeling so lucky to be loved by this incredible man in front of her. "You better eat before the noodles get soggy", he told her when he noticed she was only staring at him, his lips curved. She smiled more widely than before, "Yes, Director Han!". He stared at her blankly wondering why she suddenly called him formally. "Just kidding", she said with a cheeky smile and playful smile again. _There's that adorable smile again_ , he bit his lower lip, If he could just kiss her right there and then, he would, instead he dug into his own noddles, smiling the whole time.

On the way back from lunch, Jipyeong told Dalmi he would walk her to her office as he needed to talk to Dosan. When he saw her confused look, he told her everything that happened yesterday, the fact Dosan called and told him they’ve broken up and that she was waiting for him to come back. She was glad Jipyeong told her all this. This somehow convinced her that Dosan had indeed moved on and was completely fine with it now.

\------

Jipyeong and Dosan now stood facing each other at the rooftop, hands in pockets but both could notice all hostility were now gone between them. Jipyeong started the conversation and went straight to the point, “Nam Do San-ssi, thank you…for what you did. For telling me the truth, it gave me the push I needed”.

“I’m guessing you’re together now, aren’t you?”, Dosan asked. Jipyeong nodded, "yes". Dosan also nodded then shrugged, “Figured as much when you came into the office, otherwise you’d be back in US by now".

He seemed genuinely happy for them. Jipyeong cleared his throat, “That’s why I will continue to be around her…I might come to your office sometime, I just wanted to tell you that so you’ll be more prepared.” Jipyeong warned him as he knew how it felt being the one outside looking in. So out of respect for Dosan’s feelings if he still had any, he thought he should let him know all this.

But Dosan surprised him by smiling and said, “Don’t worry, I’ve been prepared since we broke up, I could tell how much it was hurting her inside waiting for you to come back. Besides I’ve realised back then it was more of an obsession, she became my dream but I can’t have a person as my dream anymore, it’s unhealthy”.

Jipyeong’s lips curved, somewhat feeling proud of how this boy Dosan had matured and turned into a man. “Nam Dosan-ssi, you’ve changed so much, if I was your real hyung, I’d be really proud of what you’ve become”, Jipyeong teased making Dosan laughed. He then looked at Jipyeong, “You know when you told me about your past, it made me realise how much I have in family and friends. I couldn't even imagine surviving alone in this world, and then I thought it would've been nice if we could be real _dongsaengs_ , not a pretend one like before”.

Jipyeong didn’t expect this at all. But he could imagine if they had started things off differently and not tangled in this wretched fate, they could really be good friends, _doengsangs_. Dosan continued, ”Is it ok if I call you hyung again from now on?”. Jipyeong was not used to all this warmth but he slowly nodded and smiled. He extended his hand to Dosan, “Let's do that, Dosan-ah”. Dosan grinned and took his hand, “Hyung".

\------

Another week passed of blissful happiness for both Jipyeong and Dalmi, he would come and pick her up to and from work, then went on casual lunches or dinners at her house, even though not everyday as they were both busy with work especially with their positions. Jipyeong also started coming to Dalmi’s office since he had a talk with Dosan. They were now a lot more opened about their relationship, by now everyone in Dalmi's office already knew they were a thing.

Even though they still kept it professional when they were at respective offices, sometimes they managed to sneak in a kiss or two elsewhere when they knew there was no one around, being extra careful. Until one day when they were at a meeting room, Injae, Dalmi's sister happened to open the door suddenly and caught them red-handed. They hurriedly let go and looked away from each other, both faces red.

Injae's eyes widened and jaws opened as she tried to comprehend what she just witnessed. Dalmi winced seeing her sister's reaction, she hadn't told her sister about Jipyeong yet. They had become much closer now since Injae became a Seo again but it was still hard for her to open up with her own sister than with her friend, Saha. She knew Injae would just dismiss it if she came to her before with her problems and said yes it's all your fault for being stupid. She just didn't want to hear it from her sister.

Then slowly the look of surprise on Injae's face subsided and replaced by a smirk. She then told them she knew it'd happen sooner or later when she heard jipyeong was back. Even though Dalmi never told her anything but she figured it out herself just by seeing how she was after Jipyeong left, but what she wasn't sure of was how Jipyeong actually felt about Dalmi. She had suspicions before, but right now they were confirmed.

Injae turned and looked at Jipyeong then smiled, "I knew something was up when I saw you that day with your company tag behind you and walked away with that sullen back", she teased. "Ah...yes, that day", Jipyeong smiled shyly remembering what happened that day, he was still avoiding Dalmi but that one time he couldn't help himself when he thought she was going to be in trouble because of the reporter.

Dalmi looked at Jipyeong then at Injae, raising her brows, obvious she had no clue of what they were talking about, she was feeling slightly jealous that they shared a little secret. Injae just responded cheekily, "ask your man here". Dalmi turned to Jipyeong again. He cleared his throat, "I'll tell you later". Injae's lips curved, keeping her cool, and with her hand she signalled, "continue, I'll find another meeting room", she turned and left them alone.

"So you came to see me that day?", Dalmi asked. Jipyeong nodded and had a sheepish smile, "but that's when I realised you didn't need me anymore, so I couldn't help feeling disappointed...". Dalmi felt so touched, that was the time when he was trying to avoid her but he came when he thought she was going to be in trouble despite what he was going through. Tears welled in her eyes. "What's wrong, Dalmi-ah?", he asked, concerned seeing her this way. She looked at him dearly, _he's always so giving and never expects anything in return_. She felt so lucky to have him as her man, and for him to love her the way he did. _I love him so much, I want to spend the rest of my life with this man_ , she gushed and thought to herself as she was looking into his eyes. Jipyeong gently wiped her tears, his brows furrowed, still confused why she was crying, "what's wrong, Seo Dal Mi?", he repeated softly. She shook her head lightly then smiled,"Nothing, it's nothing, I just…thank you, Jipyeong-ssi..for making me feel so happy". She wrapped her arms around him and buried her head in his chest. He held her close and they stayed in each other's arms for a little while longer.

\------

Sitting on the couch, Jipyeong typed something furiously on his phone, brows furrowed, deep focus in his eyes. He had asked Dalmi for a date this coming weekend, yes, a proper date! But he was really bad at this dating business, he had been too busy with work that he was so out of touch with all this. With a sigh, he put down his phone, giving up then turned to his AI, “Hey, Yeongshil, can you recommend a good place for a date?”. His AI answered, “Sky Rose Garden and n.Grill restaurants are known for being the place to be to impress on first dates, should I book one of them?” Jipyeong quirked his brow, _first date,_ _how did he know?_ amused at how his AI know this was in fact his first official date with Dalmi. He definitely wanted to impress her.

The day before the date, Jipyeong was on the way back from a meeting and just so happened to pass the same jewelry shop where he got the ring for Dalmi before. He stopped in his track. His eyes fixed on a ring on display. _Would she accept if I propose?_ , thinking of how the place he was taking her tomorrow would be a perfect place. _No, I'll scare her away…_ he didn't want to lose her, she'd think he's crazy for proposing now when they just got together. So he turned and continued walking to where he parked his car.

\------

Pacing back and forth in front of his sofa in his apartment, Jipyeong kept looking at his watch, he wanted to just pick up Dalmi now but it was still too early so he sat back down, taking a deep breath and exhaled. _Why am I so nervous?_

At the same time at Dalmi's house, she was getting ready for the date. She was also a nervous wreck, putting her hand on her chest, she breathed in and out, to calm herself down. What Saha, her mum and halmeoni planted in her mind made her even more nervous than before. They made her believe tonight was the night he was going to propose. _"why else would he take you there?"_ , Dalmi recalled what Saha said today. She squealed as she buried her face on the pillow, trying to hold herself from smiling from ear to ear. _Is he really?_ She couldn't contain her excitement as she was getting ready.

\------

Standing in the middle of Dalmi's living room, Jipyeong waited with abated breath for her to come down. As he turned and looked up at the stairs, his heart stopped. Dalmi was looking at him, wearing the most gorgeous black dress complimenting her figure, her hair softly curled and pinned just so revealing her collarbone. To him, she was undeniably the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

If only he knew that Dalmi was also revelling at the sight from where she was, before he turned and saw her there. His side profile, his jawline, hands in pockets, in his dark navy suit fitting his tall figure perfectly, his hair slicked back with not even a strand of hair out of place. She had always thought he was good looking, but she realised now he was more than just good looking, he was what she would call _perfection_.

Jipyeong snapped out of it when he gasped for air not realising he had stopped breathing altogether seeing the sight in front of him. Then he walked closer to her and gave her his hand to help her walk down the stairs.

The restaurant he took her to was so beautiful with flowers and fairy lights all around and a city lights view to die for, _no wonder this was the place to propose,_ Dalmi thought as she looked around. The night was as romantic as she imagined it to be, he was being such a gentleman as always, moving the chair for her to sit, cutting her food so it was easier for her to eat, making sure she was ok and comfortable. He made her heart fluttered everytime he stared at her as if she was the most beautiful woman and the only thing he could see. The conversation always flowed effortlessly whenever they were together, they could talk about everything and anything, light banters here and there. There wasn't a moment of awkwardness despite the nerves building up to tonight. These moments were what they missed the most when they were apart. Their dinner date continued with lots of staring into each other's eyes, holding each other's hands while waiting for the next course, it was as if there was no one else around them, just the two of them in their little bubble of happiness.

After dinner, they walked hand in hand at a park nearby with fairy lights hanging gently on the trees, both wished the night would never end. But she was still wondering if he ever going to propose. The night was almost over but not a sight of a ring or indication of a proposal coming. Thinking of a ring, it reminded her of the one he gave her before he left. She realised she'd never talked about it with him before, and he never asked about it either.

Dalmi turned to look at Jipyeong, "Did you know after you left, I'd sometimes put on the ring you gave me whenever I missed you". Jipyeong had noticed early on she didn't have the ring on her finger but he didn't want to press her about it before, she must had reasons of her own, he thought. "But each time I'd put it back in the box because it reminded me of the day you left...the thought that I've lost you was too unbearable..", Dalmi continued with a weak voice. Her eyes averted elsewhere, not wanting to look at him in the eyes. She hated remembering that moment and wanted to bury it deep inside so it'd never resurface ever again.

His heart broke, thinking it must've been hard for her as much as it was for him, there was obvious pain in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Dalmi-ah….I…, I wished I could turn back the time", his heart aching from the thought of him hurting her that way. "No, please don't be sorry, I think I might've done the same..", she stared into his eyes and smiled at him. But his brows were still furrowed, she could tell he was still kicking himself. Dalmi got closer to him, her face now so close in front of his. He thought she was going for a kiss but then she tiptoed and softly kissed the crease between his brows, startling him. "There, it's gone now", she said playfully with a cheeky smile on her face. His heart raced, he loved the way she was being so playful with him. She stared into his eyes, "I love you, Han Ji Pyeong".

Hearing her say that she loved him in person and having her face being so close to his made his heart beat even faster than before. It fired up all the desire he had burning inside of him all these years waiting for her to finally look at him. He puller her close, inching closer to her face, his eyes darkened, and with a low raspy voice he said, "Seo Dal Mi, you have no idea what effect you have on me..", then he kissed her as if he was devouring all of her.

Dalmi was taken aback at first, only because these kisses felt different to the ones before, they're more urgent, more eager, these kisses showed how much he wanted her, all of her. He pulled her even closer, holding her so tight that their bodies were now moulded into each other, they could hear their hearts beating so fast. The touch of his hand on her back sent shivers everywhere on her body. _Gosh, he's such a good kisser_ , and for the first time she felt something inside of her she'd never felt before, and it showed from the way she kissed him too.

But then Jipyeong broke the kiss, his hands now on Dalmi's shoulders, their foreheads still touching, and both gasping for air. Realising what he'd done, he still couldn't believe how he had lost control of himself. He thanked God they were outside and not alone at his place or he wouldn't be able to hold himself. He looked at Dalmi and gently touched her face. Her lips were still swollen. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself", he said with an apologetic look on his face. He tried reading her face, she looked confused so he was afraid he had gone too far. But then he relaxed when he saw Dalmi smiled at him and said, "Why did you stop?". Not expecting that kind of reaction from her, his lips curved, dimples back on his face. She never ceased to surprise him, the ever so random Seo Dal Mi. Feeling the breeze, he took off his suit and quickly put it on Dalmi and wrapped his arms around her, keeping her warm from the cold night air. "It's cold, let's go home", he said as he gently kissed her forehead.

\------

Moments after Jipyeong dropped her off and bid her goodnight, she was still feeling the aftereffect of the magical evening. Her heart still fluttering even until now. She walked into her room and saw the box of ring next to the plant. At that moment, it reminded her of the non-existent proposal. She felt annoyed at herself for letting Saha put that thought into her head, and also her mum and halmeoni on that matter. She should've known better, after all they just started. She sighed and opened the box. Staring at the beautiful diamond ring inside, the memory of him wanting a clean break and left her came rushing back. How she wished she could erase the bad memory associated with this ring and replaced it with a beautiful one so she could put on the ring that had been sitting in its box and looked at it with fond memory, at the moment it was just a wasted beauty. _How nice would it be if he had proposed to me with this ring instead…,_ she thought to herself with a smile. Then it hit her, _wait, what if_ .., she realised it's time she stepped up her game and took matters into her own hands. After all, she'd aways been a go-getter so why not?

\------

 _"Why don't you try to drop hints here and there, if he's smart, he would pick it up",_ Dalmi recalled Saha's advice when she asked her best friend how she could make him propose without being too obvious, after all she still wanted to keep her pride.

Jipyeong and Dalmi were now sat at the dining table across from each other, having dinner at Jipyeong's apartment. She had brought over the foods she cooked all day. She rarely cooked since she became too busy with work but she did today, just for him. "Wow, you made all these? They are amazing", Jipyeong said while tasting all the dishes she laid out on the table for him. He was touched and beyond happy, this was the first time she made food especially for him. "Of course, Halmeoni always said I'm ready to be married and would make any man feel lucky to have me as his wife", Dalmi's hint dropping had begun again, she wanted him to take it. She looked at him carefully trying to see his reaction. Jipyeong looked up at her, with warm eyes and dimpled smile, "I hope the lucky bastard would be me…". Dalmi's heart skipped a beat. "Who else would it be..?", blushing from his stares, she looked away, "so you better hurry before some other man takes me away".

Hearing those words made his heart fluttered, he couldn't help but think she was trying to tell him something but he didn't want to give himself that hope. But then again this wasn't the first time she touched the subject of marriage, she had been talking about it more than usual lately.

\------

The past few days had been very busy for Dalmi. Working on an urgent project, everyone in CheongMyeong company including Dalmi were pulling an all-nighter, the proposal was due the next day. Dalmi was getting tired and sleepy so she asked everyone to take a breather and stepped outside for a little bit for some fresh air. They went to a nearby street cart opened until late at night, and had some snacks to get their energy back. Dalmi looked at the time and it was getting late. She wanted to go back to the office so they could finish up sooner, Dosan tagged along as the rest of the crew stayed behind a bit longer.

Back at Sandbox building, they were walking side by side. Dalmi had noticed how Dosan seemed much happier now, so she started a conversation and asked how he was as they were walking back. That was when she found out the reason, turned out he had been dating someone. She was so happy to know, even if she didn't have feelings for Dosan now but she did care about him, as a friend and business partner. And it felt like she could forgive herself more and felt less guilty for hurting his feelings before.

"I'm so happy for you, Dosan-ah, I've always felt so guilty before…", she hesitantly told Dosan. "You shouldn't be, Dalmi-ah. I guess the heart wants what it wants. I know now since I met her", Dosan said with a big smile on his face. "Are you happy now?", he asked Dalmi while they were at the lift. She nodded, "Mm, very very happy…", she said softly with a big warm smile on her face. As she said the words, the lift door opened, and she saw Jipyeong.

Jipyeong had dropped off some late night food and drinks for Dalmi and the rest of her employees but he was on his way out since no one was there. He was just about to call her when the lift opened and he saw Dalmi and Dosan together. Seeing Dalmi smiling widely with Dosan next to her, he couldn't help but felt insecure. After all he was her second choice and Dalmi had a history together with Dosan.

"Jipyeong-ssi, what are you doing here?", she asked walking out of the lift. Now standing in front of him, she smiled as she was so happy to see him. They both had been so busy the past few days that they kept missing each other. He told her he had dropped off some refreshments for them back in the office and was on his way out. He looked at Dosan and forced a smile, they greeted each other briefly. But as he did so, Dalmi noticed Jipyeong had put his hand on her shoulder, holding her tight and pulled her close to him. _He's jealous_ , her lips pursed trying to hold her smile, she had never seen him this way before.

Dosan noticed it too and grinned widely. Jipyeong raised his brows, "Something funny, Dosan-ah?". "Hyung, you're being too obvious", Dosan snorted, followed by Dalmi. Jipyeong's brows furrowed and looked at Dalmi, "you too?". His jaws clenched, not liking how they shared an inside joke. Dosan then sensed it was time for him to leave them alone so he excused himself.

 _Was it just the two of them pulling an all-nighter?_ He wondered as he saw Dosan walking away and the others were nowhere to be seen. There was no way he would let that happen, in his head he was trying to come up with all believable excuses so Dalmi would let him stick around in her office and waited for her to finish. But then Dalmi took his hand and asked him to come out to the rooftop with her as she had missed him. Not to mention he would be leaving to US for a week in two days. So she thought she would rather stay back a bit longer to finish up her work than missed this chance to spend time with him.

"Were you being jealous before?", she teased as they sat close to each other on the bench at the rooftop. He turned to look at her, she had a playful smile on her face. "Yes..", sighing as he admitted it, "any man would", he continued with all seriousness. He knew he was being silly and immature, he felt more foolish now as he admitted to it. Her smile fell, she didn't like seeing him like this. "Don't worry, my own problem, I'll get over it", he smiled trying to comfort her as he noticed her expression changed, he didn't want her to worry about his own insecurity, it was his to overcome.

 _His own problem?_ For some reason she felt a bit hurt, it sounded as if he was pushing her away, he had always dealt with things himself and never relied on her or talked to her about his problems. She put her head on his shoulder, "I wish you could lean on me the way I always have with you…I'm here, Jipyeong-ssi".

Hearing those words from her made him realise there were some truth to them. He was so used to being by himself all his life, he never had anyone by his side before that he could actually lean on. There was of course halmeoni but that was different. Even with halmeoni, he would never come to her when he was having a hard time, because he hated having to rely or lean on anyone and get used to it, being an orphan meant that he had to be strong to survive alone in this world, all by himself. But now here she was, by his side, asking him to lean on her too, just like how he wanted to be the first one she would think of whenever she was having a hard time. He held her close and kissed her head, "I will, I promise…".

Her smile came back, "Good....and just so you know there was really nothing between me and Dosan anymore, I love you, it's always been you… Besides, just in case you were wondering what we were talking about at the lift, he told me he's dating someone now and he's really happy".

Jipyeong had never cared about other people's relationship until now, his dimpled smile back, grinning, "Good boy, I'll congratulate him when I see him next". Her lips pursed seeing him that way, "are you that happy?". "Of course, he's my beloved doengsang, you know", he quipped making her laugh. 

\------

“I’ll be back soon”, Jipyeong said reassuring Dalmi as they were standing at the airport. She wasn’t too keen on the idea of him leaving again but she knew he had to. It was only for a a week, he had to tie up loose ends in US and also bring his things back. Dalmi looked at him and smiled, "I know, I'll be waiting patiently". Then she took out a black box from her pocket and gave it to him. He recognised it. It was the same black box with the ring he put with the letter before he left. He looked up at her, brows furrowed, wondering why she was returning it to him. "I want you to give it to me in person so make sure you return it", she emphasized each words and stared at him with meaningful eyes as if she was trying to tell him something.

 _Could it be?_ This time it seemed too obvious, he'd be a fool not to take the hint. Dimpled smile formed on his face, he took the box and pulled her close holding her tight, then whispered softly into her ears, "yes, I'll definitely return it to you so you'd better be ready for it."

\------

During the days Jipyeong was away in US, he never missed waking up at dawn to do a video call with Dalmi just to say goodnight. He missed her and couldn't wait to see her again. In the meantime, he was also trying to figure out how and where he should propose. If it was up to him, he would've proposed to her on the same day they met again but he would scare her away if he did that. He thought she wouldn't be ready for it, being so soon. But the hints she had been giving him lately were too obvious to ignore. Or perhaps it was all in his head? he wondered, doubting himself. "Ya, Han Ji Pyeong, don't be such a coward", he scolded himself. Feeling more confident with how she felt about him now, "That's right, what have I got to lose, if she says no, I'll just wait until she's ready and propose again".

\------

Walking out of the gate, he was happy to finally be back in Korea. His eyes scanned through the crowd and saw Dalmi waiting for him with a big smile on her face. He couldn't wait to hold and kiss her, just a few more steps, his eyes never leaving contact as he walked towards her. It was evident from the way she looked at him, she too had missed him. When he finally got to her, he pulled her close and kissed her passionately, not caring about people around them staring. Dalmi responded to his kisses, wrapping her hands around his neck, how she'd missed him, even if he was only away for a week but it was long enough for her.

Driving in the car from the airport, Jipyeong was being unusually quiet, he kept looking straight onto the road while he was driving. As they were holding hands in the car, she could feel his hand clammy which was unusual for him. There seemed to be something in his mind. But whenever she asked him about it, he just said nothing was wrong, that everything was fine. So she left it at that, he would tell her when he was ready. But just then, she noticed he took the wrong turn. "Wait, where are we going?", surprised, she asked and turned to look at him. But he just did a quick glance at her with a wide dimpled smile, "you'll see".

\------

"I love you, Seo Dal Mi, would you accept my feelings and spend the rest of your life with me?" His heart was racing, standing in front of Dalmi, he managed to pop the question while holding the same black box she asked to return to her, it was now opened showing the beautiful diamond ring inside. He stared intently into her eyes, trying as hard as he could to hide the nerves he was feeling inside.

They were now standing face to face in front of the birdhouse, where the cherry blossom leafs were dancing around, a picture perfect view. He couldn't think of any other better place to propose to her but here, where it all started, and also where he started to dare to dream again when he found out she felt the same way. When Dalmi only stared at him and didn't say anything with tears welling up in her eyes, he started to worry maybe he was moving too fast. His heart was beating so fast that he felt out of breath.

"Yes!", Dalmi finally responded, _he finally proposed!_ she didn't know she could feel this happy that she felt like screaming at the top of her lungs, and it's all because of this gorgeous man in front of her. She eagerly held out her hand for Jipyeong to put the ring on her finger, "yes, I want to spend the rest of my life with you", she said through the tears of happiness running down her cheeks, "I love you too, Jipyeong-ssi".

Tears have now started to well up in his eyes as he slowly put the ring on her finger, still unable to believe this wasn't a dream, if it was then it would be the cruelest dream if he ever woke up from it. He looked up, clenching his jaws trying to hold himself from crying, "thank you, Dalmi-ah, thank you for making me the happiest man alive." He smiled, his tears have rolled down despite his efforts, then he felt her soft lips on his.

Wrapped in each other's arms, they continued to kiss, consuming each other's sweet tastes, while the cherry blossom leafs continued to dance all around them.

\----------------

Another month passed since they got engaged, they spent their days filled with more love, warmth, and happiness. Even though they were both busy but they always tried to spend time with each other as much as they could. And there were definitely lots of dinners at hers. He would even sometimes stayed over the night after dinner, Dalmi and her family always insisted no matter what. It was obvious the Seo ladies adored him so much, especially Dalmi of course. All the while, they were planning their wedding, Jipyeong was glad Dalmi agreed to not wait for long and to have the wedding within months. He didn't want to wait for too long, and neither did she. Things were going so well, they were in cloud nine of their own and it felt like nothing would ever be able to get in between them.

\------

Planning a wedding was more exhausting than they initially thought, especially when they were getting busier with work so when they had the time to spend time together tonight, they decided to have a quiet night instead of going out anywhere. They were now at Jipyeong's apartment, sitting on the sofa watching an old classic romantic movie, something Jipyeong would never do if not for Dalmi. In fact, he was never one to watch movies, the only reason he would even watch TV was to watch the news.

Dalmi had her eyes glued on the movie, she always loved a classic, being such a romantic soul. Jipyeong on the other hand, had his eyes glued on Dalmi instead of the actual movie. Thinking back, when he just came back from US, he would be sitting here on the very sofa alone, the thought of having her sitting next to him was something he wouldn't even dare to hope. But here she was..., _my god, she's so beautiful_ , he thought to himself admiring her beauty with a warm smile on his face.

When Dalmi realised he was staring, she turned to look at him. Her heart skipped a beat, his warm smile and the way he looked at her made her blush even more, only Jipyeong had that effect on her. She took his hand and put his arm around her, then she held him tight, putting her head on his shoulder. "I'm so happy..," she said softly, closing her eyes and breathing in his scent, he had this particular scent about him that made her swoon every single time.

"Me too…", he said softly and kissed her forehead, dimples showing on his face. When she looked up at him and made eye contact, her face was so close to his and especially with the way she was staring into his eyes, he started feeling the same urge he felt before when they were at the park that night. Only this time, they were alone in his house. It would be so much harder for him to hold himself. He held his breath and swallowed. His eyes averted to her lips, his heart was beating so fast. He subconsciously inched closer to her, she closed in then their lips touched.

They kissed with the same amount of eagerness and urgency, devouring each other's lips' sweet tastes. Without realising, Dalmi was already leaning on the armrest and he was on top of her as their kisses went deeper and deeper, tongues in each other's mouths, heart rates climbing up. Then when he moved to kiss her neck, she had no idea how much it could send her whole body to another level, turned out she was very sensitive there, _so this is what it feels like_ , she thought to herself. When he continued to kiss, marking her neck, she started to feel the tingle in her lower part, she was unable to hold it anymore and let out a very soft moan.

The soonest he heard it, he stopped, still breathing into her neck, sending shivers all over her body. They were both still breathing heavily, then he slowly pulled away and looked at her. _What have I done?!_ He was mortified realising how close they were into entering the danger zone being alone in his house. He wanted to take things slow, especially with her. He sat her up gently and fixed her hair that had gone a bit messy. She looked at him with inquisitive eyes, "you stopped again…". He sighed, "I had to...I want to take things slow with you but its been getting harder and harder to hold myself", he smiled apologetically. "I think it's getting late, I'll take you home", he continued, thinking it's best they called it a night before anything else happened.

Trying to calm her racing heart, and despite feeling slightly disappointed, Dalmi thought it was probably a good thing he stopped then, she wasn't sure if she'd be ready for whatever was coming. Even though she had never done it before but judging from the way she was feeling right now deep inside of her and all over her body, she knew she too wouldn't be able to resist. But she wasn't confident she would know what to do since she had no experience whatsoever. So with a sigh, she agreed to let him take her home.

\------

After that night, Jipyeong had been very careful in not letting them get into that situation again. He didn't want her to regret it or even worse, hate him later on if anything happened. So being a gentleman as he was, he kept being cautious and not let things got too far, not because he didn't want her but it was done out of respect. He suspected based on what halmeoni told him before about Dalmi not having any previous boyfriends, there was a very big chance that she was still...a virgin...then again there was Dosan. His jaws clenched. He shook his head, not wanting to even think about it.

A notification came on his phone, snapping out of his thoughts, he looked at his phone. There was an email from the jewelry shop. He scrolled through the photo of the wedding rings which he designed and got specially made with a big dimpled smile on his face. That's right, he wouldn't have to wait for long, they would be married soon enough. He leaned back on his sofa, smiling from ear to ear, the thought of finally spending the rest of their lifes together excited him to the point he had lost another sleep that night.

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The next day would be one of those days for Jipyeong, he was sitting in his office, deep in his thoughts. He was known as the best of the best in his field with an unbeatable record of zero failure. But that record had now been tainted, today he found out he had failed. This one time he wasn't careful enough and now he had to pay for the consequences.

So he spent the next few days trying to fix what he could, meetings after meetings day in day out, but to no avail. He was now still working away in his office, not even getting the chance to have dinner. Knowing there was nothing else he could do made him feel defeated. He leaned back and closed his eyes for a second to rest, feeling exhausted from the past few days and lost of sleep lately. Then looking at the time on his watch, it was way past midnight. Since it was so late, he decided to call it a day and left the office. He took out his phone from his pocket, there was a missed call and a couple of messages from Dalmi. He sighed, hating the fact he hadn't even had the time to see her the past few days. But a part of the reason was because he also didn't want her to worry about him, so he kept it to himself as always.

During the drive home, he kept thinking of Dalmi, right now he missed her too much. _"I wish you could lean on me the way I always have with you"_ , her words kept repeating in his mind. He promised her then he would try. This made him realised what he needed right now was her. So he drove to her place instead of going home.

 _What am I doing here_...For a long while, he was just sitting in his car parked outside her house, but eventually he got out to stretch himself. Then he just stood there leaning on his car and looking at his phone. He contemplated on whether or not he should text her but decided not to knowing it was way too late and it might wake her up. So he stayed there for a while, breathing in the night air, thinking it would be good enough for now and feeling comforted a little knowing she was at least close by.

At the same time, Dalmi was tossing and turning in her bed, she couldn't sleep a wink. Checking her phone for a hundred time, she sighed. She hadn't heard from Jipyeong all afternoon even after the call and texts. She knew there was something bothering him the past few days, he had been too busy to see her and it seemed like he was distancing himself from her. Thinking of all this made her feel upset again. She sat up. _That's it, I'm going to barge into his office tomorrow._ Just then she saw her shadow on the bed, the moonlight coming through her bedroom window was unbelievably bright tonight. She leaned on the window right above her bed and looked outside, the full moon was shining so bright, _so beautiful_...she was mesmerised. For some reason staring at the moon made her feel sleepy, she yawned. She was about to go back to bed but as she turned, her eyes caught something. Her heart stopped when she saw a lonely figure outside of her house. _Jipyeong?_ even from her second floor bedroom window, she recognised him. She quickly ran out of her bedroom, down the stairs and out of the door in no time. She opened the gate and saw him outside of her house. _It's really him._

"Dalmi, you're still awake?", Jipyeong was surprised to see her out here but also glad he got to see her face. Dalmi walked closer to him, "I couldn't sleep…because of you", she looked up at him, sulking. He raised his brows. "When did you get here? why didn't you call to let me know you're here? Have you been waiting long?", she bombarded him with questions. "Mmm, perhaps close to an hour or so…", he looked at her and smiled, "it's worth the wait". He walked closer and put his arms around her, "just for a while...let me hold you like this for just a little while longer...", he closed his eyes, breathing in her scent. This was what he needed, all his worries and exhaustion melted away and he felt his strength was slowly coming back.

Dalmi gave him the warmest embrace, she was glad he finally came to her. He had started to lean on her a bit more now, even though not as much as she wanted him to. But it would have to be little baby steps for Jipyeong, after all he had lived 36 years of his life without anyone else but himself, so he was still learning. That night they stayed that way for a while, no words, just in each other's arms, underneath the bright moonlight shining beautifully on both of them.

\------

Days later, Jipyeong was walking back to his office from a meeting outside, he was about to call Dalmi when a familiar voice called his name. He turned and saw her, _Han Ye Seul?_ She was someone he used to work with in US and also….a woman he had a brief relationship with in the past. Even though it wasn't love but he did care about her, and there was definitely a physical attraction, they were both very young when they met. But back then he was too busy with his career and relationships were never a priority.

"Ji Pyeong!", she called out his name then gave him the biggest hug, American style. "Ye Seul..., what are you doing here?", he asked, giving her a quick pat on the back then pulled away. He was taken aback at first from her hug, after all he'd been back living in Korea for a very long time now and even though he had worked in US again recently but there was no such kind of interaction with anyone, it was all strictly business. It was obvious Ye Seul was over the moon from seeing him again, she told him she had moved to Korea recently for work and was on her way back from a conference in Sand Box building. "What are the chances for us to meet again here, it must be fate", Ye Seul said with the biggest smile on her face.

Just then, standing quite a distance from them, Dalmi saw the whole interaction with her brows furrowed. _Who is she?_ Judging from how friendly she seemed to be with Jipyeong, there was no way she was just a work acquaintance or client. She felt a pang of jealousy. Even though she knew how much Jipyeong loved her, but she couldn't help but worry…. especially since she saw them now walking away together.

\------

Dalmi was on her laptop back in her office, but she was unable to focus on the work in front of her. Biting her nails, her eyes kept looking back and forth to her phone then to the door. She had been waiting to hear from Jipyeong and it was now almost home time. A message came in and she quickly grabbed her phone but it wasn't him, her shoulders and smile fell, with a sigh she put her phone down feeling disappointed. It had been quite some time since she saw them walking the same direction, _where were they going?_ She was in her own thoughts that she didn't realise Saha was standing next to her desk with crossed arms and a raised brow, Saha sensed something was up with her friend, so she signalled with her eyes for Dalmi to come with her for a chat.

"Oooh, Seo Dalmi, are you jealous?", teased Saha. "What! jealous? No!", Dalmi responded not willing to admit. "Ok, you're not then", Saha teased again, her lips pursed trying to hold her laugh. "Don't worry, she was probably just a friend, I hug my friends all the time," Saha looked at Dalmi trying to see if the consolation words worked but it didn't seem like it,"Look, if you're really worried then why don't you ask him yourself".

Dalmi pondered on Saha's advice as they were walking back to their office, perhaps she should but she didn't want to sound jealous and immature. The soonest they opened the door to her office and walked in, they saw Jipyeong leaning on Dalmi's desk, waiting for her. "Speaking of the devil", Saha's lips quirked, she turned to Dalmi and whispered, "talk to him".

Jipyeong had the biggest dimpled smile on his face when he saw Dalmi. Her heart melted. That's right, she shouldn't doubt him at all, she thought to herself. "About time, I was wondering if I ever going to see you again", teased Dalmi, being back to herself now that she had seen him. "Sorry, I've been really busy with meetings, and also...an old friend from US showed up so we went for a quick coffee catch up. I'm so exhausted", stretching his neck as he said it. _A friend,_ Dalmi was glad he told her straight away without her having to ask, she smiled thinking how silly she was fretting over it the whole afternoon. "Do you still have a lot to do, CEO Seo DalMi?", he grinned, he loved calling her that, feeling proud of his woman. "Not really, are we going somewhere? But you said you're tired..", she asked, concerned that he had overworked. But no matter how exhausted he felt, he'd still want to take her out for dinner to spend time with her, especially when he hadn't seen her for two days due to workload. "Not for you", he said in all seriousness. Her heart fluttered, only he could make her feel this way by just saying the right words, she smiled, "Let's go".

During dinner at the usual noodle cart close to Dalmi's house, Jipyeong didn't waste time in telling Dalmi the truth, about an old "friend" he bumped into today. He wanted to be truthful with Dalmi, she didn't need to know this since he wouldn't even see Ye Seul again but he knew what even white lies could do. Dalmi swallowed, "So you had a brief relationship with her and it didn't work out because you wanted different things?". "Yes...I..um...back then all I could think of was my career and she wanted more...", he looked at Dalmi, trying to read her face on how she was taking in all of these. She seemed to be ok with it so he relaxed a bit.

"Was she your first love then?", she asked suddenly. Jipyeong didn't expect this question. Was it his first love? Definitely not. He cared for the other women he'd come across before but he'd never experienced love until he met this incredible woman in front of him. Only Seo Dal Mi had made his heart broke into a million pieces then put them back together when he knew she also felt the same way, making him the happiest he had ever been his entire life. So if it was first love then Dalmi would be the one. He lovingly looked at her and smiled.

Seeing him smile that way made the jealousy creeped back in, _so it was_... She looked the other way and sculled her soju, not wanting to show him how jealous she was right now, "No, don't worry, you don't need to answer that, first loves never work out anyway", she said as if stating the fact. His smile fell, not liking what he was hearing, "why not? Says whom?". She was getting more jealous now, she sculled another soju. "That's what they all say, you never end up with your first love", she sulked, then realising he was actually her first love, she regretted saying it. His brows furrowed, there was no way he would let that happen, "Then I'll make it work...", staring intently into her eyes. She blinked, her heart skipped a beat, she wasn't sure what he meant but from the way he was looking at her... _could it be._. _is it me? His first love?_

\------

"Seo Dal Mi?", the woman repeated Dalmi's name as if she had heard it before when her sister Injae introduced them. They were pitching on a project at a potential client's office and Injae just so happened to meet an old acquaintance of hers working there, Han Ye Seul. _It's her!_ Jipyeong's "friend", even though Dalmi saw them from quite a distant a week before but she recognised this woman. She couldn't believe Injae knew her too, what were the chances. Now that she had seen her up close, she could see how beautiful and attractive this woman was, and worse, she had the body any woman would envy. Her self esteem was getting lower and lower but she picked herself back up quickly, "Yes, Seo Dalmi, it's nice to meet you, Han Ye Seul-ssi". "Likewise, Seo Dalmi-ssi", Ye Seul smiled.

"Do you know my sister Dalmi from before?", Injae asked curious of the initial reaction. Ye Seul reassured Injae it was probably just a coincidence of a same name. But when she found out where they worked, she looked obviously surprised, "Sand Box building?", she turned to Dalmi, "so you are the Seo Dal Mi…, Jipyeong's fiance?". _Did Jipyeong tell her about me?_ Dalmi wondered, she was glad to know Jipyeong had told her about them being engaged, "Ah, yes", she smugly smiled. "Do you know Han Ji Pyeong personally?", Injae asked, curious how Ye Seul would know about her sister being engaged with him, it's not like they announced it to the whole world. Ye Seul turned to Injae and smiled, "Oh yes, I do, personally....", then she turned to Dalmi again. "You're so lucky, Seo Dalmi-ssi...I wished I were you", Ye Seul continued, there was obvious pain in her eyes, then she looked straight into Dalmi's eyes, "can you give him to me?". "Excuse me?", Dalmi blinked, beyond startled. But Ye Seul laughed and quickly dismissed it as a joke.

 _That was a bad joke,_ Dalmi was still reeling on the way back to the office. She knew deep down Ye Seul wasn't joking when she blurted out that question. _The audacity!_ But other than that, she admitted Ye Seul was lovely and easy to get along with. And it seemed like if they won the project, they would be working together with Ye Seul as the client. This was the first time she hoped they didn't win a project.

But not even a week later, she found out they did win it. Dalmi was having mixed feelings about it, deep down she wished they hadn't but she couldn't put her personal feelings in front of her own company's future, after all she was a mature adult and the CEO of her company.

\------

"So has Jipyeong told you about me at all?", Ye Seul asked Dalmi after they finished with their business discussion. They were at a cafe close to where Ye Seul's company was. Dalmi was taken aback, and not liking the fact she kept referring to him by first name so casually. She looked at Ye Seul, "yes, he did and I'm fine with it if that's what you wanted to know". She was about to sip on her coffee when Ye Seul asked, "did he tell you how far our relationship had gone then?". Dalmi's brows furrowed, starting to feel more annoyed now, "what are you trying to tell me, Han Ye Seul-ssi?". "Ah sorry, that was probably inappropriate, I'm just jealous that's all", Ye Seul smiled openedly admitting. "it took me a while to get over him, you know. He was everything I wanted, he's such a perfect man..", Ye Seul continued gushing over Jipyeong. "Yes, he definitely is", Dalmi shortly replied trying to calm herself down. But then her next words made Dalmi's blood boil. "Not to mention how good he is in bed, right?", Ye Seul had the biggest grin on her face. If eyes could burn, Dalmi's would've turned Ye Seul into ashes. Dalmi clenched her jaws and held her hands into fists, in her mind, she had splashed a glass of water straight onto Ye Seul's face, then she imagined slapping Ye Seul's face, but she held it in. Instead she slammed her hands on the table, startling Ye Seul. She's not going to be one of those women who'd just sit there and swallow everything.

"That was very inappropriate, Han Ye Seul-ssi, I'd appreciate if we not talk about him ever again. Let's try to keep it professional since we're working together, like mature adults", Dalmi told startled Ye Seul then she stood up having enough of this. She looked down at Ye Seul still sitting down, "and yes, he is", she said with the biggest smug smile to show she had won before turning away and left Ye Seul there. But while walking away, she couldn't deny the anger she was feeling now, _he slept with her!_ She couldn't get it out of her head, the thought kept playing in her mind over and over again.

Dalmi went to the rooftop at Sand Box, she wanted to be alone. Recalling the conversation and the last thing Ye Seul said before, she couldn't help thinking of the fact that she hadn't done it with him yet. But that was because he said he wanted to take things slow, wanting to protect her as much as he could, since they had only started. But evidently not with Ye Seul, they had a brief relationship, so why? Was it because she was so attractive, he couldn't resist? She knew it was in the past and she felt stupid for getting upset and jealous over it. Holding the railing so tight, she screamed out loud, feeling frustrated. Her blood boiled again, she scoffed and fanned herself, getting more angry by the second. She decided she needed a good drinking session to take her anger and frustrations out, so she called Saha.

\------

Jipyeong was at home working on his laptop while waiting for Dalmi to call. He told her he'd pick her up and take her home after she finished drinking with Saha. Then the door bell rang. His eyes widened when he opened the door to see Dalmi standing there, "Dalmi? How did you get here, I told you I'd pick you up". She reeked of alcohol, he could smell it even from where he was standing and could tell she was out of it. He took her inside his apartment and gently sat her on the sofa, "Dalmi, are you ok? I'll grab you a glass of water", he said softly. But as he was turning, he felt a tug on his shirt, he turned and saw Dalmi holding it with her head down, "Jipyeong-ssi, can I stay here tonight...", then she looked up straight into his eyes.

His heart raced, _staying the night, did she mean..._ but he quickly dismissed the thought, thinking it was drunken talk. He knelt on one knee in front of her and looked into her eyes, "I'll grab you a glass of water first then we'll talk about it, ok?", he smiled. This was the second time he had seen her being drunk like this, the first time was when Dosan left to US. The memory left a bitter taste in his mouth. But then he was taken aback when Dalmi suddenly kissed him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and there was desperation in her kisses. But since he knew she wasn't herself, he wasn't going to let it continue, he put his hands on her arms and gently pulled away. "Dalmi-ah...you're drunk, stay here", he told her softly.

Him pushing her away slightly sobered her up. "Why?...why did you push me away?", she asked feeling hurt by the rejection. He noticed it so he put his arms around her, "I had to or else I wouldn't be able to stop, you know what effect you have on me, it happened a couple of times before, remember?". "Then why don't we just let it happen", she asked. His heart skipped a beat, startled by her remark. He slowly let go of his hold a little bit just so he could look at her. "Why was it ok with her but not me?", she continued, tears started welling up in her eyes.

At that moment, he knew. He didn't like the idea of Dalmi working on the project for Ye Seul's company when she told him about it but he wasn't going to tell her not to, it's her company, so he respected her decision. He suspected Ye Seul must've told her more about their past relationship. He put his arms around her again trying to comfort her, "Dalmi-ah, I've told you I want to take things slow with you, we only just started". "You said you only had a brief relationship and yet you slept with her!", Dalmi pushed him away, she was getting more upset as she stated the fact, why was it different with her, was she not attractive enough for him?

His brows furrowed, "that was different…". "How is it different?", she challenged him. He looked straight into her eyes, "...Because this is the first time I've ever loved someone...that's why I'm never sure what to do when it comes to you, I want to do everything right, because I'm afraid that I'd lose you if I didn't". Hearing his confession made her heart swell. _First time?_ _So I'm really his first love?_ His words made all the anger and raw emotions she felt before disappeared, but she still remained speechless. When he saw her just sitting there and not say anything, he attempted to explain further, "Dalmi-ah, I don't want you to regret it if anything happens…I know you've never...done it before…", hesitating as he said the words. "So I'm willing to wait until we're married, which is soon enough", he continued, smiling as he thought of how they would soon spend their lifes together.

"Why did you think I'll regret it…, we're going to be married anyway", she stared into his eyes. His heart raced, if he could he would've swept her off now and took her to his bedroom, but not when she was in this state. He closed in on her and whispered in a low voice into her ears, "If you think you're ready for it, then I'll be much obliged, I've been waiting for too long". His words sent shivers all over her body. "But not tonight,...tonight you need a good sleep", he smirked. "No, I'm fine, I never get sleepy after I drink", she insisted but she could feel that she was actually getting really tired and sleepy from all the alcohol she consumed. "Ok then, water first. I'll be right back", he warmly kissed her forehead and went to grab a glass of water, thinking he'd take her home after she'd sobered up. But when he came back to the sofa, glass of water in hand, she was already asleep. He laughed softly.

After carrying her into his bedroom and gently laid her down on his bed, Jipyeong then called halmeoni so they know she's ok and will be staying at his for the night. Seeing her in his bed next to him put a smile on his face, soon they'd be married and she'd be sleeping next to him just like this. He laid down next to her and propped his head up with his hand, gently moving the hair on her face, he continued watching her sleep all night.

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The next morning, Dalmi was slowly waking up and opened her eyes, her heart raced when she saw Jipyeong sleeping next to her. His face was so close to hers. She tried to remember what happened last night, she had had too much to drink with Saha, her head still hurting. Then she remembered being in his apartment and the last thing she vaguely remembered was Jipyeong whispering into her ears, _"If you think you're ready for it, then I'll be much obliged, I've been waiting for too long"._ She gasped, _did we?!_ She quickly checked herself then breathed a sigh of relief when she realised nothing happened. There was no way her first time would be one she wouldn't even remember. She turned and looked at him, putting her head back on the pillow, she watched him sleep. He looked so much younger with his hair down covering his forehead, he was smiling in his sleep, dimples appeared on his cheek, _he must be having a good dream_ , _so cute,_ she thought to herself, smiling. She gently touched his dimple with her finger, trying not to wake him up. But he did, she saw him slowly opening his eyes. Her heart stopped when she saw him smile, it was the first time she saw him waking up with his face so close to hers. She couldn't wait to spend the rest of her life with him so then she could see this face every morning.

"Good morning", he said then kissed her forehead. "Good morning", she smiled and snuggled closer to him. Jipyeong put his arms around her, holding her tight. "How are you feeling? Are you ok?", he was concerned she might have a bad hangover. "Not really...my head hurts, I don't know how I'm going to work today," she sighed. His lips pursed trying to hold his laugh, "serves you right, little miss, who told you to drink so much", he teased. "Hey!", she playfully hit his chest lightly. His dimples showed as he smiled, satisfied of her reaction, "wait here, and make yourself at home", then he left her to her own device in the bedroom.

In a short moment, with the bedroom door opened, she could hear clanking noises outside, _what is he doing?_ But for now, she ignored her curiosity as she tried to remember what exactly happened last night, it was still a blur. Then everything came rushing back, she gasped, she couldn't believe she had done what she did, feeling more and more embarassed as she remembered how she was throwing herself like that onto him, crushing her pride. She covered her face with her hands, then ran her fingers through her hair, messing it up as she usually would when she was frustrated, "oh my god, what do I do?", screaming silently inside. She breathed in and out, calming herself down, "it's ok, pretend you don't remember anything...that's right, that'll work", nodding to convince herself. She got out of bed and quickly found a mirror so she could tidy herself up, she looked like such a mess. But then it's nothing Jipyeong hadn't seen anyway, he had seen her so many times at home being herself whenever he stayed over, with her home clothes and trackies, no make up and messy morning hair.

After a while, Dalmi finally came out of the bedroom, looking all freshened up. Jipyeong saw her as she was approaching the kitchen where he was, he smiled and asked her to wait for few minutes more and sit at the dining table. So she did what he asked and sat down, all the side dishes already laid out on the table.

This was the first time he ever gotten the chance to cook for her, feeling satisfied after tasting it, he put the dish down in front of her, "Here you go, one hangover soup ready". He sat across from her, with his head propped on one hand, watching her as she tasted the soup he made. "Mmm, this is good, I didn't know you're a good cook", she said, _too perfect_. "I'm glad you liked it, this is the first time I've ever cooked for anyone", he said with a sheepish smile. Dalmi felt so touched. "Thank you...but aren't you going to eat?", she asked, seeing him just sitting there watching her and not eating. "Ah, yes I am", he smiled. As they had their breakfast, Dalmi was glad he didn't mention anything about last night. And he wasn't going to, he knew she'd feel embarassed if he did. So they continued having their breakfast, enjoying the moment together just the two of them, much like a married couple.

\------

Not long after the incident, Ye Seul apologised to Dalmi. Jipyeong had sternly told her off and asked her to leave Dalmi alone, she had never seen him so stirred up that way before. She knew she was being pathetic as she couldn't let go of the fact she couldn't make him love her the way he loved Dalmi and that he was even going to be married to her soon. Back then when he broke it up with her, she thought he was just someone not capable of ever loving anyone, that was her only consolation. Even so she had always hoped if she ever met him again one day, she would do whatever it took to be with him and perhaps things would be different. So when they did meet again, she thought fate brought them together and then she tried, but that hope was crushed when he bluntly rejected her advances and told her about the love of his life. So she did something out of her character and did it out of spite. But she realised now she would never even stood a chance and be able to go in between them two.

And as always, Dalmi was always forgiving, she decided she wouldn't let the past bothered her anymore. He loved her and that was all that mattered. All things forgotten but it didn't mean that they forgot what happened that night when Dalmi said she was ready to give all of her but whenever they planned to be together and thought it would happen, something came up, every single time. So they gave up thinking their wedding was around the corner anyway, and nothing would stop them then.

\---------------

Jipyeong was standing in front of the altar, waiting with abated breath. He was looking as dashing as ever in his black tux complementing his tall figure, his hair perfectly slicked back and not one single strand out of place. He had the widest warm smile with dimples showing on his cheeks, feeling elated and the happiest he had ever been in his entire life. To think just last year when he left heartbroken, he would never had thought this day would come. Remembering all the years he had been waiting by Dalmi's side, for her to finally looked at him and loved him the same way, all the heartache and yearning for her love had been worthed.

He looked up and saw halmeoni sitting at the pew, she was smiling from ear to ear, she too couldn't contain her happiness and it showed. _"Jipyeong-ah, now I don't have to be the lady next door anymore, soon I'll officially be your halmeoni"._ The tears started to well in his eyes again as he recalled what halmeoni told him when she hugged him earlier before the ceremony. His heart swelled, he loved halmeoni with all his heart, she was the first person he had considered family. Then he saw Injae, smiling at him as if giving encouragement. Dalmi's mum and Injae would also soon be officially his family, something he never had all his life.

His eyes then averted to Dong Cheon and CEO Yoon, sitting directly behind Dalmi's family. Then Yongsan, Chulsan also Saha sitting at the other aisle, they were still together, bickering behind the new couple, Dosan and his girlfriend. He saw Dosan smiling at him. He had come up to Jipyeong and Dalmi earlier and genuinely congratulated them personally. He smiled at Dosan, now his _doengsang_ , who would had thought considering the tangled fate they had and all the bitterness between them before. All that had been forgotten now because here he was standing in front of the altar, his dream was coming true. But he was getting more nervous by the second, his hands clammy, though no one would had known as he tried his best not to let it show.

Just then, a beautiful piano tune started to play softly, his heart started racing again from the anticipation, then it stopped when he saw her standing by the church door, looking extremely beautiful in her wedding dress, flowers in her hand, the light shining through making her look like an angel personified. At this moment, it was as if there was no one else around them, she was the only one he could see. When their eyes met, she warmly smiled at him with loving eyes, all of a sudden all the nervousness had disappeared, the smile and dimples were back on his face, unable to hide his excitement.

As Dalmi saw him standing in front of the altar, it felt like minutes that she had stopped breathing. He looked as gorgeous in his black tux as she imagined him to be and more, the way he looked at her made her heart flutter and gave butterflies in her stomach.

Her mum nudged her softly, "Are you ready, my beautiful daughter?", she asked with the warmest smile on her face. Dalmi smiled at her mum, then she looked at Jipyeong, thinking how proud her dad would also be if he was still here with them today, then she said softly, "Yes".

She started to walk slowly towards him, her heart racing, she couldn't believe this was finally happening. She was about to marry her first love and the love of her life. Without realising, tears had started to well in her eyes, she tried to hold it in as much as she could, not wanting to ruin the make up Saha did for hours earlier. As she walked closer to him, she could see his eyes were red, his jaws clenched, it was obvious he was trying to hold it in. He extended his left hand and she took it with her right.

Their wedding day was without a doubt the most beautiful and blissful moment, it was a small and intimate one where they were surrounded by people they loved the most. Standing face to face, holding hands and staring into each other's eyes, they exchanged their vows, the rings then the passionate kiss. Both just couldn't wait to spend their lifes together.

\------

If planning a wedding was exhausting, having the actual wedding made them feel like all the energy had been sucked out of them, perhaps more from the emotional rollercoaster they felt all day. They were now standing in front of Jipyeong's apartment which would be Dalmi's home too from now on. Before he opened the door, he asked Dalmi to close her eyes, then slowly guided her into the living room, "open your eyes".

When she opened her eyes, she gasped, the sight took her breath away as she saw different colours of cosmos flowers all around decorating the whole apartment, with fairy lights dangling everywhere, it was magical. He had prepared for this for quite a while, not letting Dalmi came over for days before their wedding as he wanted to surprise her. She turned and put her arms around him, burying her head in his chest, "Thank you...for this, for everything you've done for me…", she looked up and stared into his eyes, "for loving me and making me the happiest I've ever been in my life. I love you".

He stared into her eyes with a warm smile on his face, this felt like a dejavu to him, it happened once before in his dream. He gently traced her face, "you have no idea how much I've dreamt of this….I love you, Seo Dal Mi...you're the only woman I've ever loved, and you always will be". He held her closer then kissed her without holding back, he had waited too long for this. She wrapped her arms around his neck and responded his kisses with the same amount of urgency. As they kissed, all the tiredness they felt from the day melted away, they were savouring this moment in time.

As their kisses becoming more urgent and eager, tongues in each other's mouths, their hearts started beating faster. Unable to hold it any longer, he picked her up. She held on and spread her legs around his waist then he carried her to the bedroom, still kissing all the way. Lucky he knew the way to the bedroom even with his eyes closed.

He laid her down gently on the bed, with him on top of her. They continued to kiss but then he stopped just so he could look at her face. They stared into each other's eyes, hearts racing, both still catching their breaths and with swollen lips. Dalmi's eyes begged for more, she cupped her hands on his face and caught his lips. They kissed for a while then he slowly moved to her jawline, then down to her neck. As he kept kissing and marking her neck and collarbone, she started to feel the same feeling she had before when he kissed her there. He moved down and slowly pulled her shirt up slightly and kissed her belly. His kisses and the touch of his hands on her bare skin sent shivers all over her body, she gasped softly. As he pulled her shirt up further, she put her arms up so he could easily take it off. He went back to her lips and claimed her mouth. Still kissing, she slowly started unbuttoning his shirt, but as she fumbled, he helped her. With his shirt off revealing his broad chest and defined abs, her eyes averted to his body, she had never seen him topless before, she gently touched his abs. He smirked then caught her lips again. As they kissed, she felt a touch on her back and without realising the strap of her bra was already off, he took it off gently, revealing her perked breasts and nipples. He looked at her perfect breasts then into her eyes, "my god, you're so beautiful", he said with a raspy and low voice, revelling at her beauty.

This was the first time anyone had ever seen her so exposed, she was feeling slightly embarassed but then the way he looked at her as if she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen made her feel seductive. She pulled his face closer and kissed him. He moved down to her jawline, neck, down to collarbone, then further down to her breasts. He cupped her left breast and claimed it with his mouth as he kneaded her right breast with his hand and fingers playing with her perked nipple. She gasped at the unfamiliar and warm feeling of his mouth and tongue, and the touch on her breasts, but it felt so good it sent shivers all over her body and the tingle in her lower part was back. She arched her back and moaned. She had no idea her breasts would be extremely sensitive, she thought her neck was her weak spot but this was another level. He continued to suck on her breasts and used his tongue to play with her nipples, switching between the two. She put her hand onto the back of his head and ran her fingers through his hair, pulling them lightly as she felt something she had never felt before building up inside, her other hand grabbed onto the pillow as her heart raced faster and she started to feel her lower part pulsating from the sensation, she arched her back from the pleasure, feeling ecstatic, she called out his name in between her moans as he continued, "Han...Ji...Pyeong!", as if begging for more. He smirked then moved and started kissing further down to her belly, while unbuttoning her pants. He pulled them down and swiftly took them off along with her underwear. He looked her up and down, revelling at her beauty again as she was panting. Her eyes were begging for more. He pulled down his own pants, revealing his aroused manhood.

She looked at it and wondered how it would possibly fit inside of her. As he started to softly kiss her knee, up to the inner side of her thigh, her heart raced from the touch of his kisses on her skin especially being so close to her lower part. He moved up to just above her lower part sending shivers again all over body, then kept moving up to her belly button, onto her breasts again, staying there for a while until she moaned. He caught her mouth and kissed her. Their bodies were now moulded into one, with him on top of her, pressing lightly on her breasts. As their kisses continued deeper and deeper, he started to slowly go inside of her, it felt so tight but it went in easily as she was so wet. She gasped softly from the unfamiliar feeling, she felt full in her lower part, filled with him, she could feel his manhood twitching inside, the feeling sending pleasure everywhere. "Are you ok…?", he asked, concerned as it's her first time. She could only manage a weak nod as her thoughts and body just couldn't focus anymore, she felt she was ready to explode. He continued to go even deeper and started to slowly move in and out, her body arched again from the pleasure. Not long after, she started to move as well matching him, her legs wrapped around his waist, her hands on his back, fingers digging into his bare skin. She could feel him breathing into her neck. As he picked up the pace, their hearts raced even faster, she screamed and moaned unable to contain the pleasure she was feeling at the moment. He went in deeper and faster, she felt her lower part pulsating, he could feel it too so he picked up the pace again. Then as she couldn't hold it any longer, with a loud moan she came undone, and straight after so did he and let himself come inside of her. They stayed moulded into each other, still trying to catch their breaths. He pushed himself up slightly just so he could look at her face. He couldn't believe that just happened, they finally did it, all the wait had been so worthed. He noticed her hair that had gone all over the place and tidied them slightly then gently caressed her cheek, "I love you", he said staring into her eyes. "I love you too", she responded breathless. They looked into each other's eyes and smiled. He kissed her softly then laid himself next to her.

Dalmi was still feeling the aftereffect of the whole experience, it was after all her first time. _He really is so good_ , she couldn't believe what she had been missing out, if this was what she would experience every single time, she could be addicted to this. Jipyeong pulled her close and they stayed in each other's arms all night. If he could, he would have more of her and devour her all night, making up for the times he had been waiting and holding it in but they would have an early and long flight for their honeymoon the next morning, so he let her rest and get some sleep. After all they would have their honeymoon and the rest of their lifes.

\------

Their honeymoon in Santorini was as dreamy as their wedding day. They spent their days sightseeing and dining at different restaurants or cafes, then at night they would make sweet love, Jipyeong not giving Dalmi a break as he just couldn't get enough of her, and likewise, Dalmi was the same, she just wanted more and more of him. Some days they couldn't wait until the night and just spent the entire day cooped up in their hotel room and made love all day long.

On the last day of their honeymoon, they were looking out at the beautiful sunset view in front of them from the balcony of their hotel room, he had his arms wrapped around Dalmi, both wrapped in a blanket. "Even the most impossible dream can come true", Jipyeong smiled remembering the wise words of his AI, Yeongshil. Dalmi turned her head slightly to look at him and had that inquisitive look on her face as if asking what he meant. He looked at her and smiled, "Nothing, I'm just glad I listened to the ancestors, because here you are with me and I'm actually holding you in my arms", he looked into her eyes and traced her face,"...it feels like I'm still in a dream…", he continued, there were traces of uncertainty again in his eyes. Dalmi noticed it so she gently cupped his face with her hands and smiled, "I'm here...with you,..and I will always be no matter what, you're stuck with me now, remember?", she took his hand and pointed at the wedding ring on his finger. He laughed softly, "yes, I guess I am". Then they kissed, wrapped in each other's arms, with the beautiful view of the sun setting behind them, savouring the moment and wishing the time would stop, a dream came true.

\---------------------

Not long after the wedding, Jipyeong went on to be more successful in his career. That one time he failed, he made it up with more successes, earning another promotion. He was also finally given the chance to repay halmeoni. That was by investing personally in a start-up company helping orphans find sponsors to help them establish their lifes after leaving the orphanage, just like what halmeoni did for him. Not to mention the CEO of the company had the same voice as his AI, Yeongshil, which was one of the reasons why Jipyeong warmed up to him immediately, they became the best of friends since.

Dalmi's & Injae's joint companies had now grown even bigger, so they had to move to another office out of Sand Box. Both Jipyeong and Dalmi weren't too happy about it, but it had to be done. It was harder for him to meet with her in between their crazy schedules since she wasn't in the same building so when CEO Yoon told him that she wanted to invest in Dalmi's company and asked him to be the VC in charge, he readily said yes, that way he could see her more. He felt so proud of how much his wife and her sister have achieved and how far they've come in such a short period of time.

Their lifes together continued to be blissful and with abundance of love, warmth and happiness.

\-------------------

The sunlight this morning was shining too bright through the bedroom window, Jipyeong opened his eyes and slowly waking up. Lying still in his bed, he stared at the ceiling for a while, still feeling the aftereffect of his dream. It was such a vivid dream…

He turned his head to see an empty space besides him, Dalmi wasn't there next to him. His brows furrowed. But before he even had the chance to think of anything else, the door opened wide, "Appa, wake up!", the little boy went straight to where he was and started jumping on the bed. Jipyeong caught his energetic three year old son, "Seonho-ah, ok, ok, I'm awake! You can stop now". "Eomma wants you to come out and have breakfast now", little Seonho told him as he took Jipyeong's hand and trying his best to pull him out of bed, he laughed seeing his son's effort.

He walked the long corridor of their five bedroom house where they had moved into before their son was bornt three years ago. Little Seonho had ran off ahead of him. Stepping into the dining room, he saw Dalmi busy in the kitchen. She smiled when she saw him, "you're finally awake, come and have breakfast". He walked up to the kitchen, pulled her close then kissed her passionately. Her heart still fluttered every time he kissed her that way, even until now. They smiled through their kisses. "What's going on?", she wondered what had gotten into her husband to kiss her like that so early in the morning. He smiled, "Nothing, I just feel like kissing my wife, nothing wrong with that, right?", he said as he kissed her again. They broke the kiss when they heard their nine month old daughter's cries in her baby chair, wanting attention. He walked over and picked her up, "Hi beautiful", he kissed their baby daughter, just like how every doting father would and carried her the whole time while helping his wife set up the table.

That morning they sat together having breakfast with their son and baby daughter, as a family, just like they did every day. He looked at Dalmi and their kids, feeling grateful, he now had the love and warmth of family he had always wished for.

End.


End file.
